Effects of cold acclimation on the survival, feeding rate, and non-specific immune responses of the freshwater red claw crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus)

Abstract

The effect of cold acclimation on growth performance, non-specific immune responses, and expression level of HSP21 and CSP gene were studied in red claw crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus) using a 4-week stress trial. We set a four-temperature gradient, with water temperatures of 25, 20, 15, and 9 °C, respectively. With the gradual decrease of temperature, the survival rate, feeding rate, and hepatopancreas index (HIS) of the red claw crayfish showed a decreasing trend. Decreased total hemocyte count (THC) and hemocyanin concentration were observed when water temperature decreased. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) in the hepatopancreas and hemolymph all gradually declined with decreasing temperatures and then significantly lowered at 9 °C compared with those at 25 °C. The activity of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in these two tissues showed in the opposite trend, indicating that they may have different regulation mechanisms. A gradual increase of malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration was detected in the hepatopancreas and hemolymph when the temperature decreased. Low temperature stress also affected the expression of heat shock proteins 21(HSP21) and cold shock domain protein (CSP). These results indicate that cold acclimation may induce oxidative stress on the crayfish and then cause oxidative damage and hemocyte apoptosis, as well as immunosuppression in Cherax quadricarinatus, which may finally affect the growth and survival of Cherax quadricarinatus.