Protective immunity of sevenband grouper, Epinephelus septemfasciatus Thunberg, against experimental viral nervous necrosis

This paper describes the protective immune responses of sevenband grouper, Epinephelus septemfasciatus Thunberg, immunized with live piscine nodavirus, the causative agent of viral nervous necrosis (VNN), or the Escherichia coli – expressed recombinant coat protein. Nodavirus-neutralizing antibodies were detected at titres ranging from 1:158 to 1:1257 in serum of sevenband grouper which survived intramuscular injection with the virus, by a cell culture assay system. The virus-neutralizing ability of immune serum was also confirmed by injecting virus previously treated with serum into fish. This indicates establishment of acquired immunity in survivors and thus explains why survivors from natural infection are resistant to recurrence of the disease. Young sevenband grouper were immunized twice by intramuscular injections with the recombinant coat protein. Immunized fish produced neutralizing antibodies at high titres for at least 110 days and showed significantly lower mortalities in virus challenge tests. These results suggest the potential for vaccination against VNN in sevenband grouper, which is susceptible to piscine nodavirus at all life-stages.     

14C-glucose injection in Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua, metabolic responses and excretion via the gill membrane

In the present study cod were separately placed in fish metabolic chambers. Ten individuals were injected with a dose of 1 μCi ¹⁴C-glucose, in addition to 1 g pure glucose per kg live weight, and 10 individuals were kept under the same conditions and sham injected with 9 g L⁻¹ (0.9%) sterile saline solution.
Of the injected ¹⁴C-glucose, 3% was recovered in plasma, 2.9% in liver, 1.7% in red muscle, 18.2% in white muscle, 0.2% in heart, 1.9% in gills and 12.1% in gill-surrounding water. Of the 12.1% in gill-surrounding water, 9.1% was found to be in the form of CO₂, leaving 3% to pure glucose and lactate. These results indicate a relatively high production of CO₂ from glucose showing a utilization for energy, and a possible route of excretion of excess glucose via the gill membrane.
Activity of ¹⁴C-glucose on a concentration basis showed in descending order the following organs to be metabolically active in glucose utilization: gills > plasma (as a transporter) > heart > red muscle > liver > white muscle.
Of the total amount of ¹⁴C-glucose injected, only 0.3% was recovered in the liver lipid fraction, and mainly as triacylglyceroles; minor ¹⁴C-activity was found in mono- and diacylglyceroles and free fatty acids. These results show very low activity of de novo syntheses of lipid from injected glucose in the cod.     

Protein metabolism during sexual maturation in female Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L)

Body composition and fractional rates of protein synthesis (percentage of the protein mass synthesized per day) were determined in female Atlantic salmon returning to the River Tay, Scotland in July and in October after a 95 day period without food, during which time the animals became sexually mature. During the 95 day period of starvation/sexual maturation the ventricle and red muscle remained as a constant proportion of fresh weight whereas the liver, gill and ovary increased and the stomach and white muscle decreased. Fractional rates of protein synthesis increased markedly in the liver, stomach and ovary during the period of starvation/sexual maturation. In the gill, ventricle and white muscle fractional protein synthesis rates increased slightly or remained constant. From the estimated rates of protein loss or gain in the various tissues it is concluded that there is considerable protein turnover and repartitioning of amino acids during the period of starvation and sexual maturation. The absolute rate of protein synthesis rates in the ovary indicates that this tissue made the largest contribution to the energy and amino acid demands of the fish, whilst most of the amino acids required for maturation of the ovary were derived from white muscle, principally as the result of increased muscle protein degradation.     

Environmental effects on feed utilization

Both external and internal factors affect the response of fish to variations in dietary quantity and quality. An attempt is made to review major, recent studies on the series of intermediate steps (intake, digestion, metabolism, excretion and retention) involved in the global response of fish to environmental changes. Among these external factors, greater attention is however devoted to those that are the most important natural effectors within the aquatic environment: temperature, ambient oxygen and salinity. The changes brought about by a change in temperature at different levels of nutrient utilization have been studied to a great extent in the recent past. As temperature affects in the first instance, the voluntary food intake, a discussion on current nutrient requirement data should preferably be dealt with in absolute terms. While critical levels of oxygen below which growth is hindered are sufficiently defined for many species, precise data on the direct effects of oxygen deficiency on nutrient utilization are still fragmentory. With regard to salinity, a distinction between stenohaline and euryhaline species and a knowledge of the physiological mechanisms corresponding to their life cycles are required before attempting comparative analyses. Within euryhaline species, best performances are noted at salinities isotonic to the internal medium. Despite accumulating evidence on the effects of cyclical phenomena, the chronobiological approach to fish culture remains practically unexplored.     

Digestive protease activities and free amino acids in white muscle as indicators for feed conversion efficiency and growth rate in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.)

The aim of the present experiment was to screen several biochemical indices in fish and their interrelations in order to select variables for future studies of growth rate and feed conversion. Several parameters [trypsin activity, chymotrypsin activity, free amino acids (FAA) in plasma and white muscle, and RNA and RNA/protein ratio in the white muscle] were measured together with specific growth rate (SGR), feed intake and feed conversion efficiency (FCE) in four groups of diploid or triploid Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) reared under different light regimes. SGR was measured on individually tagged fish, whereas feed intake and feed conversion was estimated on tank basis. A principal component analysis (PCA) explained 80.6% of the variance in the data, using all measured parameters, regardless of ploidy and light regime. Muscle free hydroxyproline showed the highest correlation, alone explaining 55% of SGR variability. The SGR also significantly correlated with trypsin activity (r=0.34), the activity ratio of trypsin to chymotrypsin (T/C) (r=0.39), plasma essential FAA (EAA) (r=0.39), plasma total FAA (TFAA) (r=0.37), the ratio of essential to non-essential FAA (EAA/NEAA) in the white muscle (r=–0.45), muscle RNA (r=–0.45) and RNA/protein ratio (r=–0.41). Tank FCE correlated positively (r=0.97) with SGR, T/C ratio and muscle free hydroxyproline, and negatively (r=–0.90) with muscle EAA/NEAA. The groups reared under continuous light (LL) regime showed significantly higher SGR than simulated natural photoperiod (SNP) groups, and with an apparently higher FCE. A higher growth rate was associated with either a higher consumption rate and/or a higher feed utilization. A negative correlation between muscle RNA concentration and SGR may indicate that increased growth rate under LL regime was not caused by an increased protein deposition rate.     

Polka-dot grouper, Cromileptes altivelis, can utilize dietary fat efficiently

Polka‐dot grouper, Cromileptes altivelis, a highly‐prized fish in Asian live fish markets, is a slow‐growing species. Long‐chain (LCF) or medium‐chain fatty acids (MCF) were fed to polka‐dot grouper (14 g initial weight) for 8 weeks to see if growth could be stimulated. Five dietary treatments were compared: a control diet with low fat (56 g kg^?1) or diets that contained either moderate (150 g kg^?1) or high (300 g kg^?1) supplements of fat that were added either as olive oil for the LCF or coconut oil for the MCF. Control fish performed well; they grew at 2.2 g week^?1, had a dry matter feed conversion ratio of 1.0 and deposited dietary protein and energy at efficiencies of 25 and 26%. Fish fed LCF at moderate levels performed better than controls but, when fed LCF at high levels or MCF at any level, their performance was inferior to controls. We conclude that dietary supplementation with 150 g kg^?1 of LCF stimulates growth and improves protein retention of polka‐dot grouper whereas higher levels, or the same or higher levels of MCF, depress performance.     

The changes in proximate compositions and glycogen contents in the dorsal ordinary muscles of the full-cycle cultured Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis occurring with growth

ABSTRACT:   Using full-cycle cultured (FC) Pacific bluefin tuna (body length [BL], 42.6–66.4 cm; body weight [BW], 1.66–7.40 kg, n  = 15), the changes in chemical compositions and histological structure of the cephalal parts of the dorsal ordinary muscles (DOM) occurring with growth were investigated. A positive correlation ( r  = 0.9644, P  < 0.05) was observed between BL and BW with growth. The protein, lipid and ash contents of DOM and condition factor did not change with growth. However, the glycogen content of DOM increased ( P  < 0.05) from approximately 55 cm (BL) in this study. Using optical microscopic photographs, the various shapes of muscle fibers were observed and it was noted that the muscle fiber diameter increased ( P  < 0.05) with growth. Using transmission electron microscopic observation, many glycogen granules were observed in muscle fibers (especially, side of connective tissue) of DOM throughout the growth stage in this study. These results indicate that the glycogen content of DOM of FC Pacific bluefin tuna increases before the lipid with growth.     

Growth, survival and fillet composition of paddlefish, Polyodon spathula (Walbaum) fed commercial trout or catfish feeds

Paddlefish are gaining increasing acceptance as an aquaculture species worldwide. Commercial trout feeds, containing high protein and lipid levels, are currently used in intensive culture; however, nutritional requirements of paddlefish are not currently known. A study was conducted examining the effects on growth, survival and fillet composition of juvenile paddlefish when fed commercial feeds differing in protein and lipid levels. Paddlefish larvae were first stocked in 14.0 m³ round tanks and fed trout starter feeds for 43 days until trained to accept a 1.6 mm pellet. Paddlefish juveniles of mean weight (±SE) 20±0.27 g were randomly stocked into six0.02 ha ponds at 12 500 ha^?1 and fed floating commercial trout or catfish (lower protein and lipid) feeds, twice daily (08:00 and 15:30 hours) for 92–97 days. At harvest, there were no significant differences in final weight, percent survival, specific growth rate , relative growth and feed conversion ratio between treatments, which averaged 223.6 g, 96.2%, 2.5% day^?1, 10.2 and 1.98 respectively. Surface feeding activity index was significantly higher in ponds supplied with catfish feed than in ponds supplied with trout feeds. Relative pellet buoyancy was not a factor in feeding activity. Fulton's condition factor averaged0.238, was not significantly different, and was similar to a reported value for extensively cultured paddlefish (zooplanktivore). There was no significant difference in liver somatic index between treatments, which averaged 1.91%. Percent protein and moisture of fillets averaged 14.9% and 80.9%, respectively, and were not significantly different between treatments. However, lipid content of fillets was significantly higher in paddlefish fed the trout feed (4.45%), compared with paddlefish fed the catfish feed (2.42%). Fillet lipid content for both treatments was higher than reported values for extensively cultured paddlefish. Percent abdominal fat was significantly higher (0.82%) in paddlefish fed the trout feed compared with paddlefish fed the catfish feed (0.52%). Results from this study indicate that paddlefish can be fed a commercial catfish feed labeled to contain 32% protein and 4.5% lipid without adverse effects on growth, survival and fillet composition, lowering production costs.     

A comparison of RNA concentrations and ornithine decarboxylase activity in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) muscle tissue,with respect to specific growth rates and diel variations

RNA concentrations and enzyme activities are often used as indices of recent growth in fish, but few studies have used both methods to assess the same fish. This study measured RNA concentrations and ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity in muscle tissue of juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) to compare their usefulness for reflecting specific growth rates, and to determine whether either growth index was influenced by diel variations or time of feeding. Three groups (n = 54 in total) were fed 1.5% of body weight in commercial pellets in four feedings per day. One group was fed only in the morning (0830–1230h), one in the afternoon (1430–1830h), and one in the morning and afternoon (0830–1830h). At the end of ten days, fish were sampled at three times (0130h, 1030h, 1630h) over a single 24h period. Correlations to specific growth rate were slightly higher for RNA concentrations than for ODC activity, but both were highly significant. RNA and ODC activity were also correlated to each other. These results suggest that RNA concentration and ODC activity, taken together, can be used to monitor changes in both the numbers and activity of ribosomes. For RNA concentrations, there was no evidence of an effect of diel variations or the time of feeding. For ODC activity, a significant diel effect (all feed schedules combined) was detected if one non-growing fish was excluded from the analysis; activity of the enzyme was slightly higher in the sample taken at night (0130h) than in the two daytime samples. Contribution no. 8, Catamaran Brook Habitat Research Project     

饲料蛋白对翘嘴红鲌蛋白质周转代谢的影响

选择健康的翘嘴红(体重12.84±0.60g)为试验鱼,以红鱼粉为蛋白源,配制5个蛋白水平(31.04%、35.51%、40.89%4、6.62%、50.33%)的等能、等必需氨基酸(EAA)平衡关联度的半精制饲料;又以豆粕替代鱼粉,大豆蛋白分别替代0、13.5%、27%、40.5%、54%的鱼粉蛋白,配制5个EAA关联度的等蛋白(40%)、等能(20MJ.kg-1)的半精制饲料,探讨饲料蛋白水平和大豆蛋白对鱼粉蛋白的替代对翘嘴红肌肉和肝胰脏蛋白质周转代谢的影响。8周饲养结果表明,饲料蛋白水平对翘嘴红的特定增重率(SGR)具有显著性影响(P<0.05),40.89%饲料蛋白组的SGR显著高于31.04%、35.51%饲料蛋白组(P<0.05),但与46.62%和50.33%饲料蛋白组没有显著性差异(P>0.05);饲料蛋白水平对白肌、肝胰脏蛋白质生长率具有相似的影响,40.89%饲料蛋白组的白肌、肝胰脏蛋白质生长率分别达到2.13%.d-1,显著高于31.04%和35.51%两组(P<0.05),但与46.62%和50.33%饲料蛋白组无显著性差异(P>0.05)。饲料蛋白水平的增加促进了翘嘴红的生长和蛋白质的合成。肌肉蛋白质合成率(Ks)、蛋白质降解率(Kd)随饲料蛋白水平的增加而增加(P<0.05),肌肉蛋白质的增加归因于蛋白质合成的增加较降解的增加更占优势,蛋白质的沉积率在适宜蛋白水平时最高。当大豆蛋白分别替代13.5%2、7.0%4、0.5%的鱼粉蛋白时,翘嘴红的SGR与对照组差异不显著(P>0.05),而且都显著高于54.0%替代组(P<0.05)。白肌蛋白质生长率(Kg)也显著受到大豆蛋白替代的影响(P<0.01),当饲料中大豆蛋白对鱼粉蛋白替代量为40.5%时,与对照组相比,Kg极显著下降(P<0.01)。随着饲料中大豆蛋白对鱼粉蛋白替代量的增加,白肌Ks随之降低,当饲料中大豆蛋白对鱼粉蛋白替代量达54%时,与对照组相比,肌肉Ks显著下降(P<0.05)。白肌Kd与白肌Ks的变化趋势相似(P<0.1),而PDE没有受到饲料中大豆蛋白对鱼粉蛋白替代的影响(P>0.05)。可见随着大豆蛋白对鱼粉蛋白替代量的提高,氨基酸平衡关联度逐渐降低,蛋白质合成逐渐降低(P<0.05),生长下降,饲料必须氨基酸平衡程度的变化没有改变蛋白质的沉积效率。