title: Cloning of sole proopiomelanocortin (POMC) cDNA and the effects of stocking density on POMC mRNA and growth rate in sole, Solea solea.
abstract: Proopiomelanocortin (POMC) is an important gene implicated in different functions, such as the stress response of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis. The aim of the present study was to determine whether farming conditions, such as stocking density, can be considered a powerful stressor influencing in turn the growth rate in juvenile fish. Thus, POMC cDNA expression was investigated during adaptation to farming conditions in sole (Solea solea), as a model for studying the effects of rearing densities on stress response; different stocking densities (50, 100, and 250 animals/m(2)) were applied and, after 7 and 21 days, the fishes were examined for body weight and plasma cortisol levels as indicators of stress. In addition, proopiomelanocortin was cloned and sequenced from the brain of sole, allowing semi-quantitative RT-PCR to be performed to evaluate POMC mRNA expression in brain tissue. There was a significant increase in cortisol levels in fish reared at high stocking densities of 250/m(2) compared to fish reared at control densities of 100 and 50/m(2), in both experimental times, i.e., 7 and 21 days. The high stocking densities were also found to decrease the specific growth rate of fish. Moreover, it was demonstrated that the highest stocking density induced a significant decrease in sole POMC mRNA expression. It is concluded that POMC and cortisol are both involved in the stress response due to high rearing densities, during which cortisol may serve as a negative regulator of POMC.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Morfologiche e Biochimiche Comparate, Università degli Studi di Camerino, via Gentile III da Varano, 62032 Camerino (MC), Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Palermo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nabissi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cardinaletti
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tibaldi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mosconi
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Polzonetti-Magni
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003441:Crowding / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005412:Flatfishes / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011156:Population Density; D011333:Pro-Opiomelanocortin / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011333:Pro-Opiomelanocortin; D006854:Hydrocortisone