Abstract
There are still numerous difficulties in the successful farming of pikeperch in the anthropogenic environment of various aquaculture systems, especially during early developmental steps in the hatchery. To investigate the physiological processes involved on the molecular level, we determined the basal expression patterns of 21 genes involved in stress and immune responses and early ontogenesis of pikeperch between 0 and 175 days post hatch (dph). Their transcription patterns most likely reflect the challenges of growth and feed conversion. The gene coding for apolipoprotein A (APOE) was strongly expressed at 0 dph, indicating its importance for yolk sac utilization. Genes encoding bone morphogenetic proteins 4 and 7 (BMP4, BMP7), creatine kinase M (CKM), and SRY-box transcription factor 9 (SOX9) were highly abundant during the peak phases of morphological changes and acclimatization processes at 4–18 dph. The high expression of genes coding for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors alpha and delta (PPARA, PPARD) at 121 and 175 dph, respectively, suggests their importance during this strong growth phase of juvenile stages. As an alternative experimental model to replace further in vivo investigations of ontogenetically important processes, we initiated the first approach towards a long-lasting primary cell culture from whole pikeperch embryos. The present study provides a set of possible biomarkers to support the monitoring of pikeperch farming and provides a first basis for the establishment of a suitable cell model of this emerging aquaculture species.
Highlights
Pikeperch (Sander lucioperca L., 1758) is an important food fish in Europe
We defined the basal mRNA abundance of the 21 genes listed in Table 1 at 0 dph, 4 dph, 7 dph, 18 dph, 121 dph, and 175 dph of farmed pikeperch through RT-qPCR analysis (Fig. 1)
We detected ontogenesis-specific transcription patterns for all genes analyzed with the exception of HSF1, which was
Summary
Pikeperch (Sander lucioperca L., 1758) is an important food fish in Europe. Due to its exceptionally soft flesh, rapid growth, and positive market acceptance, pikeperch is traded as an outstandingly high-quality fish. The embryonic phase of pikeperch ends with hatching at approximately 4 to 6 days post fertilization (dpf) It spans from shortly after the mouth opens and the mixotrophic feeding phase begins until the complete resolution of the yolk sac up to 7 dph. The three main bottlenecks of pikeperch farming are the conversion from endogenous to exogenous feed, the inflation of the swim bladder, and cannibalism (summarized in Steenfeldt 2015) This results in general problems such as animal malformations, impaired growth, and high mortality rates (Kestemont et al 2007; Szkudlarek and Zak ś 2007; Policar et al 2016; Schaefer et al 2017; Baekelandt et al 2018; Schaefer et al 2018)
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