title: Differential metabolite levels in response to spawning-induced inappetence in Atlantic salmon Salmo salar.
abstract: Atlantic salmon Salmo salar undergo months-long inappetence during spawning, but it is not known whether this inappetence is a pathological state or one for which the fish are adapted. Recent work has shown that inappetent whale sharks can exhibit circulating metabolite profiles similar to ketosis known to occur in humans during starvation. In this work, metabolite profiling was used to explore differences in analyte profiles between a cohort of inappetent spawning run Atlantic salmon and captively reared animals that were fed up to and through the time of sampling. The two classes of animals were easily distinguished by their metabolite profiles. The sea-run fish had elevated ɷ-9 fatty acids relative to the domestic feeding animals, while other fatty acid concentrations were reduced. Sugar alcohols were generally elevated in inappetent animals, suggesting potentially novel metabolic responses or pathways in fish that feature these compounds. Compounds expected to indicate a pathological catabolic state were not more abundant in the sea-run fish, suggesting that the animals, while inappetent, were not stressed in an unnatural way. These findings demonstrate the power of discovery-based metabolomics for exploring biochemistry in poorly understood animal models.
authors: USGS/National Fish Health Research Laboratory, 11649 Leetown Rd, Kearneysville, WV 25430, USA.
authors: Rocco C
authors: RC
authors: Cipriano
authors: School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering and Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, 311 Ferst Dr NW, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA.
authors: McKenzie L
authors: ML
authors: Smith
authors: School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering and Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, 311 Ferst Dr NW, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA.
authors: Kathleen A
authors: KA
authors: Vermeersch
authors: Georgia Aquarium Research Center, 225 Baker Street, Atlanta, GA 30313, USA.
authors: Alistair D M
authors: AD
authors: Dove
authors: School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering and Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, 311 Ferst Dr NW, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA. Electronic address: Mark.Styczynski@chbe.gatech.edu.
authors: Mark P
authors: MP
authors: Styczynski
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001066:Appetite; D011817:Rabbits; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012098:Reproduction; D020317:Salmo salar / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Atlantic salmon; Inappetence; Metabolomics; Salmo salar; Serum