Abstract
The oxytocin system plays a role in stress responses and behavior modulation. However, the effects of oxytocin signaling on stress adaptation remain unclear. Here, we demonstrated the roles of oxytocin signaling as a biomarker under stress conditions in the peripheral tissues (the gills) and central nervous system (the brain). All the environmental stressors downregulated the expression of oxytocin receptors in the gills, and the alteration of the expression of oxytocin receptors was also found in the brain after the acidic (AC) and high-ammonia (HA) treatments. The number of oxytocin neurons was increased after double-deionized (DI) treatment. By transgenic line, Tg(oxtl:EGFP), we also investigated the projections of oxytocin neurons and found oxytocin axon innervations in various nuclei that might regulate the anxiety levels and aggressiveness of adult zebrafish under different environmental stresses. The oxytocin system integrates physiological responses and behavioral outcomes to ensure environmental adaptation in adult zebrafish. Our study provides insight into oxytocin signaling as a stress indicator upon environmental stressors.
Highlights
Animals adapt to the external environment throughout their life
The present study demonstrated that the oxytocin system participated in the accliThe present studytodemonstrated that the oxytocinThe system participated in the acclimamation of zebrafish environmental fluctuations
The expression of oxytocin receptors in in the peripheral tissue and the central nervous system was altered the tissuestresses; the central nervous system was altered by byperipheral environmental thisand finding indicates that the oxytocin serves as a stress environmental this finding indicates the oxytocin system serves as stress indicator
Summary
Animals adapt to the external environment throughout their life. Environmental stimuli can be classified as biotic or abiotic. The stimuli that disturb the internal dynamic equilibrium are defined as stressors [1,2,3], and they include pH, nitrogenous waste, salinity, temperature, anoxia, pollutants, and predation [4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12]. Stress responses are conserved in vertebrates and are divided into three phases [13,14]. In animals, the neuroendocrine system is first activated to secrete hormones that alter physiological and metabolic pathways. Systemic changes occur, which may reverse the negative impact of stressors
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