Diminished Expression of Na+/HCO3−cotransporter 1.2a (nbce1.2a) mRNA Accompanies Seawater Acclimation in Atlantic Salmon

Abstract

The life history of anadromous Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) entails an initial freshwater stage that precedes their migration to marine environments. The development of physiological systems that will ultimately support the survival of juvenile salmon upon their entry into marine habitats is termed parr‐smolt transformation. This springtime transformation (smoltification) includes the acquisition of seawater (SW) tolerance. Thus, the ability of smolts to successfully acclimate to SW is attained through the development of branchial pathways for ion‐secretion. In addition, the capacity to rapidly attenuate ion‐absorptive processes upon exposure to SW is a vital aspect of SW tolerance. In the current study, we investigated the branchial gene expression patterns of three Na+/HCO3−cotransporter 1 isoforms (nbce1.1, nbce1.2a, and nbce1.2b) during smoltification and following seawater challenges. Given the proposed roles of Nbce1s in the absorption of environmental Na+ by branchial ionocytes in other teleosts, we hypothesized that nbce1s would be downregulated in salmon undergoing smoltification and/or following SW exposure. In two separate years, we observed springtime increases in branchial Na+/K+‐ATPase activity, Na+/K+/2Cl−‐cotransporter 1 and cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator 1 expression characteristic of smoltification, whereas there were no seasonal changes in the expression of nbce1 isoforms. On the other hand, we observed diminished nbce1.2a expression within 2 days after the transfer of parr and smolts to SW that remained low throughout the experiment (>2 weeks). Collectively, our results suggest that while there are no clear seasonal nbce1 dynamics during smoltification, the modulation of nbce1.2a expression upon exposure to SW may underlie the attenuation of environmental Na+ uptake.Support or Funding InformationSupported by the National Science Foundation (IOS‐1755131).