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The synergies between selective breeding and feed additives remain under-explored in farmed fish, despite their sustainability. Reference (REF) and selected gilthead sea bream for growth (GS) were fed with the control (CTRL) diet during 14 days. CTRL diet was oil-coated with three functional additives (PHY: phytogenic based on garlic and medium chain fatty acid; OA: organic acid mixture with a 70% of butyric acid sodium salt; PROB: probiotic based on Bacillus subtilis, pumillus and licheniformes species). These experimental diets were then sequentially administered at high (PHY/OA = 7.5 g/kg, PROB = 2 × 1011 CFU/kg; 2 weeks) and low (PHY = 5 g/kg, OA = 3 g/kg, PROB = 4 × 1010 CFU/kg; 10 weeks) additive doses. The capacity of a given genotype and additive to modify the fish growth performance, gut health and the host interaction with its anterior intestine (AI) microbiota was evaluated as a whole population or individually (9 fish/diet/genetics). GS fish showed a better growth and feed conversion ratio, linked to a reduced individual variability of gut microbial composition. The PHY additive had a major impact upon the intestinal transcriptome of GS-PHY fish, with the up-regulation of markers of epithelial integrity, sphingolipid and cholesterol/bile salt metabolism. With the OA additive, impaired growth performance, reduced AI goblet cell area and enhanced AI granulocyte infiltration were concomitant with a down-regulation of neutrophil degranulation markers associated with a decrease of pathogenic genera (Staphylococcus/Streptococcus/Neisseria), and an over-representation of acetone/butanol/ethanol fermentation and vitamin K biosynthesis inferred pathways. Bacillus establishment and lack of AI inflammation were parallel in PROB fish of both genetic backgrounds. However, GS fish grew and utilized feed better with the additive, whereas a worsening appeared in REF fish. This amelioration was related with a higher abundance of the nitrate-reducer Kocuria, an up-regulat

The study combined the use of biometric, behavioral, physiological and external tissue damage scoring systems to better understand how high stocking densities drive schooling behavior and other adaptive features during the finishing growing phase of farmed gilthead sea bream in the Western Mediterranean. Fish were grown at three different final stocking densities (LD, 8.5 kg/m3; MD, 17 kg/m3; HD, 25 kg/m3). Water oxygen concentration varied between 5 and 6 ppm in LD fish to 3–4 ppm in HD fish with the summer rise of water temperature from 19°C to 26°C (May–July). HD fish showed a reduction of feed intake and growth rates, but they also showed a reinforced social cohesion with a well-defined endogenous swimming activity rhythm with feeding time as a main synchronization factor. The monitored decrease of the breathing/swimming activity ratio by means of the AEFishBIT data-logger also indicated a decreased energy partitioning for growth in the HD environment with a limited oxygen availability. Plasma glucose and cortisol levels increased with the rise of stocking density, and the close association of glycaemia with the expression level of antioxidant enzymes (mn-sod, gpx4, prdx5) in liver and molecular chaperones (grp170, grp75) in skeletal muscle highlighted the involvement of glucose in redox processes via rerouting in the pentose-phosphate-pathway. Other adaptive features included the depletion of oxidative metabolism that favored lipid storage rather than fatty acid oxidation to decrease the oxygen demand as last electron acceptor in the mitochondrial respiratory chain. This was coincident with the metabolic readjustment of the Gh/Igf endocrine-growth cascade that promoted the regulation of muscle growth at the local level rather than a systemic action via the liver Gh/Igf axis. Moreover, correlation analyses within HD fish displayed negative correlations of hepatic transcripts of igf1 and igf2 with the data-logger measurements of activity and respiration, whereas

The study combined the use of biometric, behavioral, physiological and external tissue damage scoring systems to better understand how high stocking densities drive schooling behavior and other adaptive features during the finishing growing phase of farmed gilthead sea bream in the Western Mediterranean. Fish were grown at three different final stocking densities (LD, 8.5 kg/m3; MD, 17 kg/m3; HD, 25 kg/m3). Water oxygen concentration varied between 5 and 6 ppm in LD fish to 3–4 ppm in HD fish with the summer rise of water temperature from 19°C to 26°C (May–July). HD fish showed a reduction of feed intake and growth rates, but they also showed a reinforced social cohesion with a well-defined endogenous swimming activity rhythm with feeding time as a main synchronization factor. The monitored decrease of the breathing/swimming activity ratio by means of the AEFishBIT data-logger also indicated a decreased energy partitioning for growth in the HD environment with a limited oxygen availability. Plasma glucose and cortisol levels increased with the rise of stocking density, and the close association of glycaemia with the expression level of antioxidant enzymes (mn-sod, gpx4, prdx5) in liver and molecular chaperones (grp170, grp75) in skeletal muscle highlighted the involvement of glucose in redox processes via rerouting in the pentose-phosphate-pathway. Other adaptive features included the depletion of oxidative metabolism that favored lipid storage rather than fatty acid oxidation to decrease the oxygen demand as last electron acceptor in the mitochondrial respiratory chain. This was coincident with the metabolic readjustment of the Gh/Igf endocrine-growth cascade that promoted the regulation of muscle growth at the local level rather than a systemic action via the liver Gh/Igf axis. Moreover, correlation analyses within HD fish displayed negative correlations of hepatic transcripts of igf1 and igf2 with the data-logger measurements of activity and respiration, whereas

The study combined the use of biometric, behavioral, physiological and external tissue damage scoring systems to better understand how high stocking densities drive schooling behavior and other adaptive features during the finishing growing phase of farmed gilthead sea bream in the Western Mediterranean. Fish were grown at three different final stocking densities (LD, 8.5 kg/m3; MD, 17 kg/m3; HD, 25 kg/m3). Water oxygen concentration varied between 5 and 6 ppm in LD fish to 3–4 ppm in HD fish with the summer rise of water temperature from 19°C to 26°C (May–July). HD fish showed a reduction of feed intake and growth rates, but they also showed a reinforced social cohesion with a well-defined endogenous swimming activity rhythm with feeding time as a main synchronization factor. The monitored decrease of the breathing/swimming activity ratio by means of the AEFishBIT data-logger also indicated a decreased energy partitioning for growth in the HD environment with a limited oxygen availability. Plasma glucose and cortisol levels increased with the rise of stocking density, and the close association of glycaemia with the expression level of antioxidant enzymes (mn-sod, gpx4, prdx5) in liver and molecular chaperones (grp170, grp75) in skeletal muscle highlighted the involvement of glucose in redox processes via rerouting in the pentose-phosphate-pathway. Other adaptive features included the depletion of oxidative metabolism that favored lipid storage rather than fatty acid oxidation to decrease the oxygen demand as last electron acceptor in the mitochondrial respiratory chain. This was coincident with the metabolic readjustment of the Gh/Igf endocrine-growth cascade that promoted the regulation of muscle growth at the local level rather than a systemic action via the liver Gh/Igf axis. Moreover, correlation analyses within HD fish displayed negative correlations of hepatic transcripts of igf1 and igf2 with the data-logger measurements of activity and respiration, whereas

Background Broodstock nutritional programming improves the offspring utilization of plant-based diets in gilthead sea bream through changes in hepatic metabolism. Attention was initially focused on fatty acid desaturases, but it can involve a wide range of processes that remain largely unexplored. How all this can be driven by a different genetic background is hardly underlined, and the present study aimed to assess how broodstock nutrition affects differentially the transcriptome and genome-wide DNA methylome of reference and genetically selected fish within the PROGENSA® selection program. Results After the stimulus phase with a low fish oil diet, two offspring subsets of each genetic background received a control or a FUTURE-based diet. This highlighted a different hepatic transcriptome (RNA-seq) and genome-wide DNA methylation (MBD-seq) pattern depending on the genetic background. The number of differentially expressed transcripts following the challenge phase varied from 323 in reference fish to 2,009 in genetically selected fish. The number of discriminant transcripts, and associated enriched functions, were also markedly higher in selected fish. Moreover, correlation analysis depicted a hyper-methylated and down-regulated gene expression state in selected fish with the FUTURE diet, whereas the opposite pattern appeared in reference fish. After filtering for highly represented functions in selected fish, 115 epigenetic markers were retrieved in this group. Among them, lipid metabolism genes (23) were the most reactive following ordering by fold-change in expression, rendering a final list of 10 top markers with a key role on hepatic lipogenesis and fatty acid metabolism (cd36, pitpna, cidea, fasn, g6pd, lipt1, scd1a, acsbg2, acsl14, acsbg2). Conclusions Gene expression profiles and methylation signatures were dependent on genetic background in our experimental model. Such assumption affected the magnitude, but also the type and direction of change. Thus, the r

The study combined the use of biometric, behavioral, physiological and external tissue damage scoring systems to better understand how high stocking densities drive schooling behavior and other adaptive features during the finishing growing phase of farmed gilthead sea bream in the Western Mediterranean. Fish were grown at three different final stocking densities (LD, 8.5 kg/m3; MD, 17 kg/m3; HD, 25 kg/m3). Water oxygen concentration varied between 5 and 6 ppm in LD fish to 3–4 ppm in HD fish with the summer rise of water temperature from 19°C to 26°C (May–July). HD fish showed a reduction of feed intake and growth rates, but they also showed a reinforced social cohesion with a well-defined endogenous swimming activity rhythm with feeding time as a main synchronization factor. The monitored decrease of the breathing/swimming activity ratio by means of the AEFishBIT data-logger also indicated a decreased energy partitioning for growth in the HD environment with a limited oxygen availability. Plasma glucose and cortisol levels increased with the rise of stocking density, and the close association of glycaemia with the expression level of antioxidant enzymes (mn-sod, gpx4, prdx5) in liver and molecular chaperones (grp170, grp75) in skeletal muscle highlighted the involvement of glucose in redox processes via rerouting in the pentose-phosphate-pathway. Other adaptive features included the depletion of oxidative metabolism that favored lipid storage rather than fatty acid oxidation to decrease the oxygen demand as last electron acceptor in the mitochondrial respiratory chain. This was coincident with the metabolic readjustment of the Gh/Igf endocrine-growth cascade that promoted the regulation of muscle growth at the local level rather than a systemic action via the liver Gh/Igf axis. Moreover, correlation analyses within HD fish displayed negative correlations of hepatic transcripts of igf1 and igf2 with the data-logger measurements of activity and respiration, whereas

[ES] La publicación de trabajos en revistas de reconocido impacto es uno de los puntales por los que se juzgan los méritos científicos. El sistema de publicación en Acceso Abierto impone a los autores unos costes de publicación que suelen sufragarse con partidas específicas de los proyectos financiados. Por tanto, a mayor productividad mayor gasto. En el caso de los investigadores del CSIC, desde la URICI se gestiona un sistema ágil y sencillo de apoyo para contribuir en todo o parte a estos desembolsos., [EN] Publication of papers in high-impact journals is one of the key points for the evaluation of scientific merits. The Open Access publication system claims publication charges to authors, that are usually taken from projects specific funding. So success in publication can lead to considerable costs. As a help for CSIC researchers, URICI manages an agile and simple support system to alleviate partially or even completely these publication charges.

The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of dietary supplementation using bile salts (BSs) on several key performance indicators like growth and feed performance, fat accumulation and tissue condition in gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata). A 90-day feeding trial was conducted in juveniles of gilthead seabream (initial body weight, BW = 44.0 ± 4.2 g) that were fed three isoproteic (44% crude protein), isolipidic (18% crude fat) and isoenergetic (21.4 MJ kg−1) diets rich in saturated fats to favour lipid accumulation. One diet was used as a control and the others were supplemented with graded levels of a BS blend: 0.06 (BS0.06%) and 0.12% (BS0.12%). At the end of the trial, a significant increase in BW and a decrease in the levels of perivisceral fat were observed in fish fed the BS0.06% diet. However, only the BS0.12% diet significantly enhanced lipid digestibility, as indicated by the higher coefficient of apparent lipid digestibility and increased activity of the pancreatic bile salt-activated lipase. None of the diets modified the fatty acid profile of liver or fillet. In addition, while only the BS0.06% diet decreased fat deposits in liver, both BS-supplemented diets reduced fat accumulation in the intestine. Furthermore, dietary BS inclusion modified the bile acid profile in the gallbladder and anterior intestine, increasing the content of taurodeoxycholic acid in both tissues and decreasing the content of taurochenodeoxycholic acid in the gallbladder when supplementing the diet at an inclusion level of 0.12% of the BS blend. The gene expression profile of liver was analysed by quantitative PCR, targeting biomarkers mainly related to lipid metabolism and antioxidant defense, and few differences were found among dietary treatments. It was noteworthy that the decrease of lipoprotein lipase expression in fish fed the BS0.06% diet may be correlated with their reduced perivisceral fat and lipid accumulation in the liver, while the increase of the fatty acid synt

The GPRO suite is an in-progress bioinformatic project for -omics data analysis. As part of the continued growth of this project, we introduce a client- and server-side solution for comparative transcriptomics and analysis of variants. The client-side consists of two Java applications called “RNASeq” and “VariantSeq” to manage pipelines and workflows based on the most common command line interface tools for RNA-seq and Variant-seq analysis, respectively. As such, “RNASeq” and “VariantSeq” are coupled with a Linux server infrastructure (named GPRO Server-Side) that hosts all dependencies of each application (scripts, databases, and command line interface software). Implementation of the Server-Side requires a Linux operating system, PHP, SQL, Python, bash scripting, and third-party software. The GPRO Server-Side can be installed, via a Docker container, in the user’s PC under any operating system or on remote servers, as a cloud solution. “RNASeq” and “VariantSeq” are both available as desktop (RCP compilation) and web (RAP compilation) applications. Each application has two execution modes: a step-by-step mode enables each step of the workflow to be executed independently, and a pipeline mode allows all steps to be run sequentially. “RNASeq” and “VariantSeq” also feature an experimental, online support system called GENIE that consists of a virtual (chatbot) assistant and a pipeline jobs panel coupled with an expert system. The chatbot can troubleshoot issues with the usage of each tool, the pipeline jobs panel provides information about the status of each computational job executed in the GPRO Server-Side, while the expert system provides the user with a potential recommendation to identify or fix failed analyses. Our solution is a ready-to-use topic specific platform that combines the user-friendliness, robustness, and security of desktop software, with the efficiency of cloud/web applications to manage pipelines and workflows based on command line interface softw

Feed conversion ratio (FCR) is an important trait to target in fish breeding programs, and the aim of the present study is to underline how the genetic improvement of FCR in gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) drives to changes in transcriptional and behavioural patterns. Groups of fish with high (FCR+) and low (FCR-) individual FCR were established at the juvenile stage (161–315 dph) by rearing isolated fish on a restricted ration. Fish were then grouped on the basis of their individual FCR and they grew up until behavioural monitoring and gene expression analyses were done at 420 dph. The AEFishBIT datalogger (externally attached to operculum) was used for simultaneous measurements of physical activity and ventilation rates. This allowed discrimination of FCR+ and FCR- groups according to their different behaviour and energy partitioning for growth and locomotor activity. Gene expression profiling of liver and white muscle was made using customized PCR-arrays of 44 and 29 genes, respectively. Up to 15 genes were differentially expressed in liver and muscle tissues highlighting a different metabolic scope of FCR+ and FCR- fish. Hepatic gene expression profile of FCR- fish displayed a lower lipogenic activity that was concurrent with a down-regulation of markers of mitochondrial activity and oxidative stress, as well as a reallocation of body fat depots with an enhanced flux of lipids towards skeletal muscle. Muscle gene expression profile of FCR- fish matched with stimulatory and inhibitory growth signals, and an activation of energy sensors and antioxidant defence as part of the operating mechanisms for a more efficient muscle growth. These new insights contribute to phenotype the genetically mediated differences in fish FCR thanks to the combination of transcriptomic and behavioural approaches that contribute to better understand the mechanisms involved in a reliable FCR improvement of farmed gilthead sea bream.

Given their role in lipid digestion, feed supplementation with bile salts could be an economic and sustainable solution to alterations in adiposity and intestinal inflammation generated by some strategies currently used in aquaculture. An important part of the metabolism of bile salts takes place in the intestine, where the microbiota transforms them into more toxic forms. Consequently, we aimed to evaluate the gut immune response and microbial populations in gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) fed a diet supplemented with a blend of bile salts with proven background as a regulator of lipid metabolism and fat content. After the 90-day feeding trial, a differential modulation of the microbiota between the anterior and posterior intestine was observed. While in the anterior intestine the relative abundance of Desulfobacterota doubled, in the posterior intestine, the levels of Firmicutes increased and Proteobacteria, Actinobacteriota, and Campylobacterota were reduced when supplementing the diet with bile salts. Even so, only in the anterior intestine, there was a decrease in estimated richness (Chao1 and ACE indices) in presence of dietary bile salts. No significant differences were displayed in alpha (Shannon and Simpson indices) nor beta-diversity, showing that bile sales did not have a great impact on the intestinal microbiota. Regarding the gene expression profile in 2 h postprandial-fish, several changes were observed in the analyzed biomarkers of epithelial integrity, nutrient transport, mucus production, interleukins, cell markers, immunoglobulin production and pathogen recognition receptors. These results may indicate the development of an intestinal immune-protective status to tackle future threats. This work also suggests that this immune response is not only regulated by the presence of the dietary bile salts in the intestine, but also by the microbial populations that are in turn modulated by bile salts. After a fasting period of 2 days, the overall gene exp

The study combined the use of biometric, behavioral, physiological and external tissue damage scoring systems to better understand how high stocking densities drive schooling behavior and other adaptive features during the finishing growing phase of farmed gilthead sea bream in the Western Mediterranean. Fish were grown at three different final stocking densities (LD, 8.5 kg/m3; MD, 17 kg/m3; HD, 25 kg/m3). Water oxygen concentration varied between 5 and 6 ppm in LD fish to 3–4 ppm in HD fish with the summer rise of water temperature from 19°C to 26°C (May–July). HD fish showed a reduction of feed intake and growth rates, but they also showed a reinforced social cohesion with a well-defined endogenous swimming activity rhythm with feeding time as a main synchronization factor. The monitored decrease of the breathing/swimming activity ratio by means of the AEFishBIT data-logger also indicated a decreased energy partitioning for growth in the HD environment with a limited oxygen availability. Plasma glucose and cortisol levels increased with the rise of stocking density, and the close association of glycaemia with the expression level of antioxidant enzymes (mn-sod, gpx4, prdx5) in liver and molecular chaperones (grp170, grp75) in skeletal muscle highlighted the involvement of glucose in redox processes via rerouting in the pentose-phosphate-pathway. Other adaptive features included the depletion of oxidative metabolism that favored lipid storage rather than fatty acid oxidation to decrease the oxygen demand as last electron acceptor in the mitochondrial respiratory chain. This was coincident with the metabolic readjustment of the Gh/Igf endocrine-growth cascade that promoted the regulation of muscle growth at the local level rather than a systemic action via the liver Gh/Igf axis. Moreover, correlation analyses within HD fish displayed negative correlations of hepatic transcripts of igf1 and igf2 with the data-logger measurements of activity and respiration, whereas

The study combined the use of biometric, behavioral, physiological and external tissue damage scoring systems to better understand how high stocking densities drive schooling behavior and other adaptive features during the finishing growing phase of farmed gilthead sea bream in the Western Mediterranean. Fish were grown at three different final stocking densities (LD, 8.5 kg/m3; MD, 17 kg/m3; HD, 25 kg/m3). Water oxygen concentration varied between 5 and 6 ppm in LD fish to 3–4 ppm in HD fish with the summer rise of water temperature from 19°C to 26°C (May–July). HD fish showed a reduction of feed intake and growth rates, but they also showed a reinforced social cohesion with a well-defined endogenous swimming activity rhythm with feeding time as a main synchronization factor. The monitored decrease of the breathing/swimming activity ratio by means of the AEFishBIT data-logger also indicated a decreased energy partitioning for growth in the HD environment with a limited oxygen availability. Plasma glucose and cortisol levels increased with the rise of stocking density, and the close association of glycaemia with the expression level of antioxidant enzymes (mn-sod, gpx4, prdx5) in liver and molecular chaperones (grp170, grp75) in skeletal muscle highlighted the involvement of glucose in redox processes via rerouting in the pentose-phosphate-pathway. Other adaptive features included the depletion of oxidative metabolism that favored lipid storage rather than fatty acid oxidation to decrease the oxygen demand as last electron acceptor in the mitochondrial respiratory chain. This was coincident with the metabolic readjustment of the Gh/Igf endocrine-growth cascade that promoted the regulation of muscle growth at the local level rather than a systemic action via the liver Gh/Igf axis. Moreover, correlation analyses within HD fish displayed negative correlations of hepatic transcripts of igf1 and igf2 with the data-logger measurements of activity and respiration, whereas

Aquaculture is the fastest-growing food production sector and nowadays provides more food than extractive fishing. Studies focused on the understanding of how teleost growth is regulated are essential to improve fish production. Cysteamine (CSH) is a novel feed additive that can improve growth through the modulation of the GH/IGF axis; however, the underlying mechanisms and the interaction between tissues are not well understood. This study aimed to investigate the effects of CSH inclusion in diets at 1.65 g/kg of feed for 9 weeks and 1.65 g/kg or 3.3 g/kg for 9 weeks more, on growth performance and the GH/IGF-1 axis in plasma, liver, stomach, and white muscle in gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) fingerlings (1.8 ± 0.03 g) and juveniles (14.46 ± 0.68 g). Additionally, the effects of CSH stimulation in primary cultured muscle cells for 4 days on cell viability and GH/IGF axis relative gene expression were evaluated. Results showed that CSH-1.65 improved growth performance by 16% and 26.7% after 9 and 18 weeks, respectively, while CSH-3.3 improved 32.3% after 18 weeks compared to control diet (0 g/kg). However, no significant differences were found between both experimental doses. CSH reduced the plasma levels of GH after 18 weeks and increased the IGF-1 ones after 9 and 18 weeks. Gene expression analysis revealed a significant upregulation of the ghr-1, different igf-1 splice variants, igf-2 and the downregulation of the igf-1ra and b, depending on the tissue and dose. Myocytes stimulated with 200 µM of CSH showed higher cell viability and mRNA levels of ghr1, igf-1b, igf-2 and igf-1rb compared to control (0 µM) in a similar way to white muscle. Overall, CSH improves growth and modulates the GH/IGF-1 axis in vivo and in vitro toward an anabolic status through different synergic ways, revealing CSH as a feasible candidate to be included in fish feed.

Aquaculture is the fastest-growing food production sector and nowadays provides more food than extractive fishing. Studies focused on the understanding of how teleost growth is regulated are essential to improve fish production. Cysteamine (CSH) is a novel feed additive that can improve growth through the modulation of the GH/IGF axis; however, the underlying mechanisms and the interaction between tissues are not well understood. This study aimed to investigate the effects of CSH inclusion in diets at 1.65 g/kg of feed for 9 weeks and 1.65 g/kg or 3.3 g/kg for 9 weeks more, on growth performance and the GH/IGF-1 axis in plasma, liver, stomach, and white muscle in gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) fingerlings (1.8 ± 0.03 g) and juveniles (14.46 ± 0.68 g). Additionally, the effects of CSH stimulation in primary cultured muscle cells for 4 days on cell viability and GH/IGF axis relative gene expression were evaluated. Results showed that CSH-1.65 improved growth performance by 16% and 26.7% after 9 and 18 weeks, respectively, while CSH-3.3 improved 32.3% after 18 weeks compared to control diet (0 g/kg). However, no significant differences were found between both experimental doses. CSH reduced the plasma levels of GH after 18 weeks and increased the IGF-1 ones after 9 and 18 weeks. Gene expression analysis revealed a significant upregulation of the ghr-1, different igf-1 splice variants, igf-2 and the downregulation of the igf-1ra and b, depending on the tissue and dose. Myocytes stimulated with 200 µM of CSH showed higher cell viability and mRNA levels of ghr1, igf-1b, igf-2 and igf-1rb compared to control (0 µM) in a similar way to white muscle. Overall, CSH improves growth and modulates the GH/IGF-1 axis in vivo and in vitro toward an anabolic status through different synergic ways, revealing CSH as a feasible candidate to be included in fish feed.