Abstract
Norway is the largest producer and exporter of farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) worldwide. Skin disorders correlated with bacterial infections represent an important challenge for fish farmers due to the economic losses caused. Little is known about this topic, thus studying the skin–mucus of Salmo salar and its bacterial community depict a step forward in understanding fish welfare in aquaculture. In this study, we used label free quantitative mass spectrometry to investigate the skin–mucus proteins associated with both Atlantic salmon and bacteria. In particular, the microbial temporal proteome dynamics during nine days of mucus incubation with sterilized seawater was investigated, in order to evaluate their capacity to utilize mucus components for growth in this environment. At the start of the incubation period, the largest proportion of proteins (~99%) belonged to the salmon and many of these proteins were assigned to protecting functions, confirming the defensive role of mucus. On the contrary, after nine days of incubation, most of the proteins detected were assigned to bacteria, mainly to the genera Vibrio and Pseudoalteromonas. Most of the predicted secreted proteins were affiliated with transport and metabolic processes. In particular, a large abundance and variety of bacterial proteases were observed, highlighting the capacity of bacteria to degrade the skin–mucus proteins of Atlantic salmon.
Highlights
Mucus is a complex, viscous, hydrated secretion present at the interface between the epithelial surface and its external environment
In order to obtain an overview of the bacteria able to proliferate in the Salmo salar skin–mucus, 16S rRNA gene analysis was used to investigate the bacterial community established after incubating mucus in sterile seawater for nine days at 10 ◦ C
The present study gives a first glance of the skin–mucus proteins of farmed Salmo salar, taking into account both proteins associated with the salmon and the bacterial community
Summary
Viscous, hydrated secretion present at the interface between the epithelial surface and its external environment. In most of the mucosal surfaces, mucus has a protective function, providing a semipermeable but robust barrier that prevents unwanted chemical compounds, pathogens, and parasites from reaching the epithelial cell surfaces [3]. It is well known that mucins play a key role in accommodating a resident bacterial community and limiting adhesion of pathogens [1]. It seems that changes in mucin glycan composition and possibly release of mucins with altered binding properties enable removal of microbes from different mucosal surfaces in order to prevent infections [4,5,6,7].
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