High dietary energy level stimulates growth hormone receptor and feed utilization in large Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) under hypoxic conditions

This study examines how appetite and growth regulation of Atlantic salmon are affected by low dissolved oxygen (LO) and dietary digestible energy levels (DE: high [HE] vs. low [LE]). Long‐term exposure to LO resulted in a reduced feed intake, growth, digestible protein and fat retention efficiencies and increased feed conversation ratio and plasma ghrelin concentrations (p < .05) compared to high dissolved oxygen (HO). Pair‐feeding of rations based on the feed intake of the LO groups, but fed at HO, resulted in a 50% growth improvement in HE diet groups. This suggests that the poor growth under LO was not entirely caused by the reduced feed intake. Salmon adapted to LO by increased haemoglobin concentrations, while osmoregulation was affected by increased plasma chloride concentrations (p < .05). Plasma ghrelin concentration was unaffected by DE (p > .05). Growth regulation was affected by the HE diet, with increased liver and muscle growth hormone receptor ghr1 mRNA (p < .05), regardless of oxygen level. The growth depression due to low oxygen appears to be related to higher metabolic costs, while higher DE upregulates the GH‐IGF system at the ghr1 level and found to be beneficial for growth, feed intake, oxyregulation and osmoregulation under hypoxia.     

Appetite,metabolism and growth regulation in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) exposed to hypoxia at elevated seawater temperature

High temperature combined with low dissolved oxygen (DO) is one of the most challenging environmental conditions farmed fish experience; thus, understanding their impact on growth regulation is of relevance to cultured and wild populations. This study examines appetite‐ and growth‐regulating mechanisms in Atlantic salmon postsmolt exposed to either high (HO) or low oxygen (LO) at a suboptimally high temperature (17°C). Additionally, the effects of high (HE) and low (LE) dietary energy (DE) were examined. After a month of treatment, analyses of hormones, regulating appetite (ghrelin) and growth (growth hormone receptor ghr1 and insulin‐like growth factor IGF‐1), and free amino acids (FAA) were measured pre‐ and postprandially at ?4, ?2, 0, 2, 4 and 6 h. No preprandial ghrelin peaks were detected despite a significant reduction in feed intake and growth under hypoxia compared to normoxia. LO treatment also had an overall negative effect on survival compared to HO, while nutrient retention efficiency, FCR and plasma FAA concentrations were unaffected (P > 0.05). Feeding HE diet resulted in increased growth (+17%) and improved FCR (?14%) and energy retention efficiency (+26%) independent of DO. Plasma FAA concentrations were unaffected by LO treatment and DE (P > 0.05). Growth regulatory gene expressions possibly reflect an overall lower growth at a high temperature overriding the impacts of DO and DE. This study also indicates that optimal adaptation time to environmental conditions and feeding regime is crucial for establishing a regular hormonal appetite signalling that reflects real feeding anticipation in salmon.     

Significant improvement of shrimp growth performance by growth hormone‐releasing peptide‐6 immersion treatments

Growth hormone‐releasing peptide‐6 (GHRP‐6) is one of the earliest developed synthetic peptidyl growth hormone secretagogue receptor agonists. These compounds mimic the effect of the endogenous ligand ghrelin. In vertebrates, ghrelin is a potent circulating orexigenic hormone with functional roles in controlling food intake, energy expenditure, adiposity, growth hormone secretion and immunity. Ghrelin has been studied mainly in vertebrates; thus, little is known about its role in invertebrates, including crustaceans. We first evaluated the effect of GHRP‐6 injection over feed intake in shrimp and its effects on shrimp growth when the peptide was administrated by successive immersion baths. GHRP‐6 increased feed intake, body weight and size, the number of rostral spines and gill branches, protein concentration and haemocyte number in treated shrimps. We also evaluated the peptide uptake and clearance in a pharmacokinetics, using [H³]GHRP‐6 administered to postlarvae. Given a limited exposure and efficient clearance of the peptide‐associated radioactivity from larvae, our findings suggested that GHRP‐6‐treated Litopenaeus vannamei can be consumed safely by humans after aquaculture applications. These results propose that GHRP‐6 could be an additional tool to study growth physiology in crustaceans and also a promising candidate for development into a new biotechnology product for improving shrimp growth and quality.     

Effects of glucose and amino acids on ghrelin secretion in sheep

Two experiments were conducted to elucidate the effects of post‐ruminal administration of starch and casein (Exp. 1), plasma amino acids concentrations (Exp. 2), and plasma glucose and insulin concentrations (Exp. 2) on plasma ghrelin concentrations in sheep. In Exp. 1, plasma ghrelin concentrations were determined by four infusion treatments (water, cornstarch, casein and cornstarch plus casein) in four wethers. Abomasal infusion of casein increased plasma α‐amino N (AAN) concentrations. Infusion of starch or casein alone did not affect plasma ghrelin concentrations, but starch plus casein infusion increased plasma levels of ghrelin, glucose and AAN. In Exp 2, we investigated the effects of saline or amino acids on ghrelin secretion in four wethers. Two hours after the initiation of saline or amino acid infusion into the jugular vein, glucose was also continuously infused to investigate the effects of blood glucose and insulin by hyper‐glycemic clump on plasma ghrelin concentrations. Infusion of amino acids alone raised plasma levels of ghrelin, but the higher plasma glucose and insulin concentrations had no effect on plasma ghrelin concentrations. These results suggest that high plasma levels of amino acids can stimulate ghrelin secretion, but glucose and insulin do not affect ghrelin secretion in sheep.     

禁食对生长期北京鸭腺胃ghrelin免疫阳性细胞的影响

本研究旨在观察禁食是否对生长期北京鸭腺胃ghrelin免疫阳性细胞生成有影响。用免疫组织化学的方法检测25、35、50日龄的北京鸭(已经禁食72 h)单位面积(mm2)腺胃组织中ghrelin阳性细胞数目。研究发现在这3个时期,不管是禁食组还是自由采食组,大量ghrelin阳性细胞多分布于腺胃深层复管状腺中;禁食组腺胃中gh-relin阳性细胞数目比自由采食组极显著增加(P0.01)。结果提示:禁食是影响腺胃产生有活性ghrelin的重要因素。     

驯鹿生长素Ghrelin cDNA的克隆

从驯鹿皱胃组织中提取总RNA,根据已发表的驯鹿生长素Ghrelin基因序列设计并合成引物,通过反转录-聚合酶链式反应(RT-PCR)进行cDNA扩增,获得了300 bp的片段,重组到pBlueselect T载体,经限制性内切酶谱分析和DNA序列测定分析,确认PCR产物为Ghrelin cDNA,为进一步研究Chrelin在驯鹿体内的分布及营养因素等对其基因表达的影响奠定基础。     

草鱼ghrelin基因的分子克隆与组织分布及其摄食调控作用分析

ghrelin是一种在脊椎动物摄食调节过程中起重要作用的脑肠肽,具有明显的摄食促进作用。实验利用同源克隆技术获得了草鱼ghrelin基因的cDNA序列和DNA序列,其中cDNA序列全长506 bp,包括90 bp的5′端非编码区(5′-untranslated region,5′UTR),312 bp的开放阅读框(open reading frame,ORF),以及104 bp的3′端非编码区(3′-untranslated region,3′UTR)。开放阅读框编码的103个氨基酸的ghrelin前体肽,经剪切加工后形成含有19个氨基酸的成熟肽。氨基酸序列分析结果显示,草鱼ghrelin与硬骨鱼类ghrelin相似度最高,而与其他脊椎动物相似度较低,同时草鱼ghrelin成熟肽N端的"活性中心"(active core)为鲤科鱼类中常见的GTSF形式。与大多数硬骨鱼类的ghrelin基因结构相同,草鱼ghrelin基因也包括4个外显子和3个内含子。荧光定量PCR检测到ghrelin mRNA大量分布于草鱼的前肠和脾,脑、肾、肝、肌肉、皮和鳔等组织也有ghrelin mRNA分布。草鱼脑和肠中的ghrelin表达水平在摄食后下降,随着饥饿时间的延长表达水平逐步升高,最后维持在较高水平,表明ghrelin作为摄食启动信号对草鱼的摄食活动起到了促进作用。     

Leptin and ghrelin levels in colostrum,milk and blood plasma of sows and pig neonates during the first week of lactation

Radioimmunology was used to determine leptin and ghrelin levels in sow colostrum and milk in relation to those in sow and neonatal pig blood plasma and to the body weight of piglets during the first week of lactation. The highest concentration of leptin was found in colostrum on the second day of lactation (69.3 ± 6.3 ng/mL). Leptin concentrations in sow plasma were significantly lower than in colostrum/milk (2.19 ± 0.9 ng/mL, P = 0.7692) and were stable in the first 7 days of lactation. Total and active ghrelin concentrations in colostrum/milk were stable in the measured time points (6734 ± 261 pg/mL, P = 0.3397; 831 ± 242 pg/mL, P = 0.3988, respectively). Total ghrelin concentrations in sow plasma were lower than in colostrum/milk. These results indicate that pigs follow a unique species‐specific pattern of leptin and ghrelin synthesis, release and existence, and that the mammary gland is an important source of leptin and ghrelin contained in colostrum/milk.     

Rat Ghrelin Stimulates GH Release and GH mRNA Expressionin the Pituitary of Orange-spotted Grouper, <Emphasis Type="BoldItalic">Epinephelus Coioides</Emphasis>

Ghrelin was recently demonstrated as an endogenous ligand of the growth hormone (GH) secretagogue receptor (GHS-R), which could promote the release of GH in mammal significantly. The present study conducted to determine whether ghrelin stimulate the release and synthesis of GH in orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides). Rat ghrelin was incubated with the pituitary fragments of grouper in static culture system. The culture medium was collected at 1, 6, 12, 18 and 24 h after incubation to detect the contents of GH by homologous radioimmunoassay. The level of GH mRNA in the pituitary fragments was measured by a sensitive chemiluminescent ribonuclease protection assay. The results showed that rat ghrelin not only stimulated the release of GH but also augmented the GH mRNA level in grouper. It suggested that the ghrelin-like peptide and the GHS-R involved in the regulation of GH synthesis and release in grouper. The present study would provide a better understanding of the regulatory mechanism of GH release in marine fish.     

肠道激素和食欲的关系

食欲的调控涉及到中枢和外周神经系统和内分泌系统。最近的研究结果显示一些消化道激素(ghre lin、神经肽YY、胰多肽、GLP-1和胃泌酸调节素)在有下丘脑调控的食欲过程中扮演一定的生理角色。这表明消化道激素食欲调控系统可能是研发抗肥胖病药物以及调节动物食欲的一个有潜力的对象。