Inheritance of microsatellite loci in polyploid Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baeri Brandt) based on uniparental haploids

Haploid gynogenesis was induced in Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baeri Brandt) using UV‐irradiated bester (hybrid of Huso huso L. and Acipenser ruthenus L.) sperm. The inactivated heterologous sperm was used successfully to produce gynogenetic haploids of Siberian sturgeon. All haploid progeny were screened using microsatellite DNA analysis and uniparental transmission in gynogenetic haploids was confirmed. The objective of this study was to obtain haploids of Siberian sturgeon and describe the inheritance of microsatellite loci in haploid embryos of this species. This initial work, based on inheritance in haploid Siberian sturgeon, suggests that three studied microsatellite loci segregate disomically, three tetrasomically and one octasomically.     

Renal -gulono-1,4-lactone oxidase activity as affected by dietary ascorbic acid in lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens)

Sturgeon can synthesize -ascorbic acid (vitamin C) as they possess in their kidney -gulono-1,4-lactone oxidase, the enzyme catalyzing the last step of AA biosynthesis. The effect of increasing dietary ascorbic acid on gulonolactone oxidase activity was studied in lake sturgeon. Two-year-old lake sturgeon (body weight 253±89 g) were fed in triplicate groups with casein-based semipurified diets supplemented with either 0, 50, 250 or 1250 mg ascorbic acid/kg in the form of ascorbyl-2-monophosphate Mg for 38 days at 19.8°C. At the end of the trial, there were no significant differences in growth rate and survival among groups. Tissue total ascorbic acid concentrations increased significantly with dietary ascorbic acid. Renal gulonolactone oxidase activity was inconsistently affected by dietary treatment. These results suggested that, in sturgeon kidney unlike in the livers of ascorbic acid-synthesizing mammals, dietary ascorbic acid did not exert a negative feedback control on gulonolactone oxidase activity and thus on ascorbic acid synthesized. Using in vitro kinetics data we estimated a theoretical biosynthetic rate of ascorbic acid of 17 μmol (or 3 mg) per kilogram body weight per day at 15°C in juvenile lake sturgeon.     

Effects of alternative dietary lipid sources on growth performance,health status and fillet fatty acid composition of hybrid sturgeon (Acipenser baeri Brandt ♀ × Acipenser schrenckii Brandt ♂)

An 8‐week trial was conducted to determine the effects of total replacement of 12.9% fish oil (FO) with soybean oil (SBO), peanut oil (PNO), sunflower seed oil (SFSO), corn oil (CO) and canola oil (CNO) on growth performance, health status and fillet fatty acid composition of hybrid sturgeon (194.28 ± 0.14 g). Compared to the FO group, dietary SBO decreased growth performance (p < .05), increased serum glucose and hepatic lipid content (p < .05). No obvious adverse effects on growth performance and health status were observed in PNO, SFSO and CO groups (p > 0.05). The fish fed with CNO had increased growth performance (p < .05), reduced serum ALT, AST, LDL‐C (p < .05) and enhanced serum GSH‐Px, T‐AOC, and LZM, MPO, C4 (p < .05). The contents of C18:1n9, C18:2n6, and ∑n‐3 PUFA and ∑n‐6 PUFA in fillets showed a positive linear correlation with the diets (p < .05). In summary, PNO, SFSO and CO are probable alternative lipid sources to fully replace FO. Hybrid sturgeon prefers to use CNO as a lipid source with improved growth performance and health status. The fillet fatty acid composition mirrors the dietary fatty acid composition.     

Performance,body compositions,input and output of nitrogen and phosphorus in Siberian sturgeon,Acipenser baerii Brandt,as affected by dietary animal protein blend replacing fishmeal and protein levels

An 8‐week growth trial was conducted using a 2 × 3 factorial design to evaluate the effect of substitution of fishmeal (FM) by rendered animal protein blend [APB, comprised of 400 g kg^?1 poultry by‐product meal, 350 g kg^?1 meat and bone meal, 200 g kg^?1 hydrolysed feather meal (HFM) and 50 g kg^?1 spray‐dried blood meal] in diets of Siberian sturgeon, Acipenser baerii Brandt. Two isoenergetic control diets were formulated to contain two different protein levels [high‐protein control (400 g kg^?1), with 483 g kg^?1 of FM] and [low‐protein control (360 g kg^?1), with 400 g kg^?1 of FM]. At each protein level, dietary FM protein was replaced by APB at 75% and 100% levels and supplemented with crystallized essential amino acid under ideal protein concept. The six diets were named as HC, HAPB75, HAPB100, LC, LAPB75 and LAPB100, respectively. No significant differences were found in weight gain rate (WGR) and specific growth rate (SGR), but fish fed with the low‐protein diets showed higher feed intake and feed conversion ratio. Plasma growth hormone and insulin‐like growth factors I of each group were not significantly different (P > 0.05). The whole‐body composition and liver composition were not affected by dietary protein levels, replacement or their interaction. Muscle protein and lipid contents of fish fed with diet LAPB100 were significantly lower than those of HC group. Digestibility of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) were reduced with higher APB inclusion levels, but productive N and P values of all groups were not different. Lower N and P intake induced lower nutrients losses (P < 0.05). The results suggested that dietary protein level could be reduced to 360 g kg^?1 from 400 g kg^?1 without affecting WGR or SGR and significantly reduced nutrients lose. Furthermore, dietary FM protein can be totally replaced by APB in feed formulation either at 400 g kg^?1 or at 360 g kg^?1 protein level.     

Effects of olive pomace on growth performance,digestibility, body composition and fatty acid profile in yearling Siberian sturgeon,Acipenser baerii (Brandt 1896)

Replacement of olive pomace (OP) with wheat flour in diet was studied in diet of yearling Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii). Fish (165 ± 6.8 g) were randomly allocated to 15 fibreglass tanks (15 fish/tank, in triplicate). Fish were assigned to one of five dietary treatments at 19.1 ± 1.5°C for 8 weeks: control diet (crude protein and crude lipid at 514.6 and 188 g/kg_, respectively) and four experimental diets with 20, 50, 75 and 100 g/kg OP to replace wheat flour in the experimental diets. No significant difference was observed in the final weight, feed conversion ratio, specific growth rate, hepatosomatic index, viscera‐somatic index and survival rate among the treatments (p > 0.05). No change was seen in digestibility of protein and lipid in diets containing 20 g/kg and 50 g/kg OP compared to control group, while these values decreased with increasing in OP above 50 g/kg. Digestibility of dry matter and gross energy among the treatments demonstrated no significant difference (p > 0.05). Polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially C22:6n3 (DHA), in the muscle of the fish fed 75 g/kg and 100 g/kg OP in diets were significantly higher than control group (p < 0.05). These data show that OP could be recommended as a substitute for wheat flour in diet of S. sturgeon but its utilization for other species warranted future works.     

Effects of dietary zinc level on performance,zinc status,tissue composition and enzyme activities of juvenile Siberian sturgeon,Acipenser baerii (Brandt 1869)

This study conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary zinc (Zn) levels on feed utilization, tissue Zn composition and serum enzyme activities of juvenile Siberian sturgeon, Acipenser baerii. Five isoenergetic and isonitrogenous semi‐purified diets were formulated with increasing Zn sulphate (ZnSO₄.5H₂O) level to provide the actual Zn values of 14.7 (control), 20.8, 27.3, 37.7 and 46.4 mg/kg diet. Each diet was assigned to three groups of 20 experimental Siberian sturgeons with uniform size (initial weight of 26.52 ± 0.94 g) for a period of 8‐week feeding trial. Results showed that growth performance and muscle protein content were significantly increased with increasing dietary Zn level up to 27.3 mg/kg (p < .05), beyond which they remained significantly unchanged (p > .05). Muscle lipid content significantly declined with increasing dietary Zn level. While muscle and serum Zn contents were not significantly changed among treatments (p > .05), liver Zn content tended to rise with increasing dietary Zn supplementation. Alkaline phosphatase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities were also raised with increasing dietary Zn level. The adequate amount of dietary Zn requirements for the Siberian sturgeon was estimated to be 28.24 mg/kg based on the relative growth rate and 34.60 mg/kg based on the liver Zn content.     

Physiological responses to feed restriction and starvation in juvenile Siberian sturgeon Acipenser baerii (Brandt, 1869): Effects on growth,body composition and blood plasma metabolites

An 8‐week study was applied to evaluate the effects of feed restriction and starvation on growth, proximate composition, haematological and biochemical factors in juvenile Siberian sturgeon Acipenser baerii with an average weight of 54 ± 0.6 g. Fish were randomly divided into nine indoor tanks (1,050 L volume) with 30 fish per tank in a flow‐through system at 18 ± 0.4°C. Three feeding strategies were considered: I) fed at satiation (F), II) restricted feeding at the rate of 1% body weight per day (R) and III) starvation (S) each with 3 replicates. Fish were fed with commercial pellets 4 times daily, but no feed was considered for S group throughout the trial. Basal level at the start, 4 and 8 weeks after initiation of the experiment, blood samples were taken from 5 fish/tank to measure the haematological and biochemical parameters. Moreover, growth performance was recorded every 2‐week interval. At the end of the experiment, the growth parameters and proximate composition were significantly different among the treatments. As expected, the highest weight (164.7 ± 2.1 g) was observed in F group compared to R (101 ± 1.7 g), or S (42.4 ± 0.8 g) groups. The highest (12.07 ± 0.14%) and lowest (5.37 ± 0.42%) fat contents were observed in F and S groups, respectively, while the protein was not affected in R group compared with F group. In addition, most haematological and biochemical indices of Siberian sturgeon were affected by starvation at week 4 and 8, while few changes were observed in restricted feeding. The highest mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular haemoglobin, plasma total protein, cholesterol and triglyceride was found in S group, while the lowest value of plasma glucose was observed in this group. It can be concluded that Siberian sturgeon adjusts the physiological condition in short‐term (4 weeks) feed restriction using stored metabolites to have basal metabolism and due to this, a short period of feed restriction strategy recommends to the optimum nutritional management of Siberian sturgeon to cost‐saving during unsuitable conditions.     

Effects of the dietary protein levels and the protein to energy ratio in sub‐yearling Persian sturgeon,Acipenser persicus (Borodin)

A 3 × 4 factorial design was used to evaluate the dietary protein requirement and to determine the optimum dietary protein to energy (P/DE) ratio in sub‐yearling Persian sturgeon, Acipenser persicus, reared in the indoor system. Twelve experimental diets (₄₀P₁₆, ₄₀P₁₇, ₄₀P₁₈, ₄₀P₁₉, ₄₅P₁₉, ₄₅P₁₇, ₄₅P₁₈, ₄₅P₁₉, ₅₀P₁₆, ₅₀P₁₇, ₅₀P₁₈ and ₅₀P₁₉) were formulated and prepared to contain three protein levels (40%, 45% and 50%) and four digestible energy levels (16, 17, 18 and 19 kJ g^?1 diet) at each protein level. Fish averaging 103.3 ± 3.5 (mean ± SD) were fed one of the experimental diets for 14 weeks. At the end of the experimental period, there were significant energy effects (P < 0.05) on weight gain (WG) and specific growth rate (SGR). Weight gain and SGR tended to decrease, although non‐significantly, with increase in dietary protein levels. Furthermore, there were significant protein and energy interaction effects on WG, SGR, hepatosomatic index and protein efficiency ratio. However, there were no significant dietary protein, energy or their interaction effects on feed efficiency for fish fed all diets. Weight gain and SGR of fish fed ₄₀P₁₉ were significantly higher than those of fish fed ₄₀P₁₆, ₄₅P₁₆, ₄₅P₁₇, ₅₀P₁₆ and ₅₀P₁₇ diets (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in WG and SGR among fish fed ₄₀P₁₇, ₄₀P₁₈, ₄₀P₁₉, ₄₅P₁₈, ₄₅P₁₉, ₅₀P₁₈ and ₅₀P₁₉ diets. These results may indicate that the optimum dietary protein requirement and the P/DE ratio could be 40% protein and 22.0 mg protein kJ^?1 (₄₀P₁₈), respectively, in Persian sturgeon, based on growth performance and feed utilization.     

Effects of enriched Artemia by fish and soybean oils supplemented with vitamin E on growth performance,lipid peroxidation,lipase activity and fatty acid composition of Persian sturgeon (Acipenser persicus) larvae

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of enriched Artemia by fish and soybean oils supplemented with vitamin E on growth performance, lipid peroxidation, lipase activity and fatty acid composition of Persian sturgeon (Acipenser persicus) larvae. For this purpose, five experimental diets including non‐enriched Artemia (control diet), Artemia enriched with soybean oil supplemented with 15% and 30% vitamin E (S15 and S30 diets) and fish oil supplemented with 15% and 30% vitamin E (F15 and F30 diets) were used. The larvae were fed to apparent satiation four times per day for 22 days. The results indicated that fish fed enriched Artemia had no significant differences compared with those fed non‐enriched Artemia in terms of growth and survival, but increase in vitamin E levels from 15 to 30% improved growth performance of larvae. Vitamin E content in fish fed S15 and S30 diets was significantly higher. Fish fed non‐enriched Artemia had significantly higher thiobarbituric acid and lower lipase activity. The highest HUFA and n‐3/n‐6 ratio were observed in fish fed F15 and F30 diets. Our results demonstrated that fish oil can completely replace with soybean oil in larval diets. Therefore, using S30 diet is recommended for feeding of Persian sturgeon larvae.     

Influence of dietary acetic acid,protexin (probiotic), and their combination on growth performance,intestinal microbiota,digestive enzymes,immunological parameters,and fatty acids composition in Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii,Brandt, 1869)

Aquaculture International - This study was performed to investigate the effects of dietary acetic acid, probiotic protexin, and their combination on growth performance, intestinal microbiota,...     

Effects of different dietary levels of L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate on growth and tissue vitamin C concentrations in juvenile olive flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus (Temminck et Schlegel)

This experiment was conducted to study the effects of different dietary levels of vitamin C, L‐ascorbyl‐2‐polyphosphate (ASPP), on growth and tissue vitamin C concentrations in juvenile olive flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus (Temminck et Schlegel). Fish were fed one of six semi‐purified diets containing an equivalent of 0, 25, 50, 75, 150, or 1500 mg ascorbic acid (AA) kg^?1 diet (C₀, C₂₅, C₅₀, C₇₅, C₁₅₀ or C₁₅₀₀) in the form of ASPP for 12 weeks. Weight gain (WG) and protein efficiency ratio (PER) of fish fed the C₀ diet were significantly lower than those of fish fed the other diets (P < 0.05), and WG and PER of fish fed the C₂₅, C₅₀ and C₇₅ diets were significantly lower than those of fish fed the C₁₅₀₀ diet (P < 0.05). Fish fed the C₀ diet exhibited vitamin C deficiency symptoms such as anorexia, scoliosis, cataract, exophthalmia and fin hemorrhage at the end of the 12‐week test. After 12 weeks of the feeding trial, AA concentrations from gill, kidney, and liver of fish fed the C₀, C₂₅, C₅₀ and C₇₅ diets were significantly lower than those of fish fed the C₁₅₀ and C₁₅₀₀ diets (P < 0.05). Based on broken line analyses for WG and PER, the optimum dietary levels of vitamin C were 91 and 93 mg AA kg^?1 diet respectively. These findings suggest that the dietary vitamin C requirement could be 93 mg AA kg^?1 diet to support reasonable growth, and greater than 150 mg AA kg^?1 diet may be required for AA saturation of major tissues for juvenile olive flounder under experimental conditions.