Vitamin A supplementation enhances Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis) early juvenile's immunocompetence: New insights on potential underlying pathways.
Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis) has been considered since the 1990's to be a promising flatfish species for diversifying European marine aquaculture. However, pathogen outbreaks leading to high mortality rates can impair Senegalese sole commercial production at the weaning phase. Different approaches have been shown to improve fish immunocompetence; with this in mind the objective of the work described herein was to determine whether increased levels of dietary vitamin A (VA) improve the immune response in early juveniles of Senegalese sole. For this purpose, Senegalese sole were reared and fed with Artemia metanauplii containing increased levels of VA (37,000; 44,666; 82,666 and 203,000 total VA IU Kg(-1)) from 6 to 60 days post-hatch (early juvenile stage). After an induced bacterial infection with a 50% lethal dose of Photobacterium damselae subsp. damselae, survival rate, as well as underlying gene expression of specific immune markers (C1inh, C3, C9, Lgals1, Hamp, LysC, Prdx1, Steap4 and Transf) were evaluated. Results showed that fish fed higher doses of dietary VA were more resistant to the bacterial challenge. The lower mortality was found to be related with differential expression of genes involved in the complement system and iron availability. We suggest that feeding metamorphosed Senegalese sole with 203,000 total VA IU Kg(-1) might be an effective, inexpensive and environmentally friendly method to improve Senegalese sole immunocompetence, thereby improving survival of juveniles and reducing economic losses.
Centro de Ciências do Mar (CCMAR/CIMAR-LA), Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal; IRTA, Centre de Sant Carles de la Ràpita (IRTA-SCR), Unitat de Cultius Experimentals, Crta. del Poble Nou s/n, 43540 Sant Carles de la Ràpita, Spain. Electronic address: nacfm@hotmail.com.
Ignacio
I
Fernández
IRTA, Centre de Sant Carles de la Ràpita (IRTA-SCR), Unitat de Cultius Experimentals, Crta. del Poble Nou s/n, 43540 Sant Carles de la Ràpita, Spain; Interactions Hôtes-Pathogènes-Environnements (IHPE, UMR 5244), Ifremer, CNRS, University of Montpellier, University of Perpignan Via Domitia, Place Eugène Bataillon, CC80, 34095 Montpellier cedex 5, France.
Carmen
C
López-Joven
IRTA, Centre de Sant Carles de la Ràpita (IRTA-SCR), Unitat de Cultius Experimentals, Crta. del Poble Nou s/n, 43540 Sant Carles de la Ràpita, Spain.
Karl B
KB
Andree
IRTA, Centre de Sant Carles de la Ràpita (IRTA-SCR), Unitat de Cultius Experimentals, Crta. del Poble Nou s/n, 43540 Sant Carles de la Ràpita, Spain.
Ana
A
Roque
IRTA, Centre de Sant Carles de la Ràpita (IRTA-SCR), Unitat de Cultius Experimentals, Crta. del Poble Nou s/n, 43540 Sant Carles de la Ràpita, Spain.
Enric
E
Gisbert
D000821:Animal Feed / Q000032:analysis; D000818:Animals; D004032:Diet / Q000662:veterinary; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000032:analysis; D004306:Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic; D005393:Fish Diseases / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D005412:Flatfishes; D016905:Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D007121:Immunocompetence / Q000187:drug effects*; D010776:Photobacterium / Q000502:physiology; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000378:metabolism*; D014815:Vitamins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000378:metabolism*
D014815:Vitamins; D014801:Vitamin A
Gene expression; Immune system; Photobacterium damselae subp. damselae; Retinoic acid; Senegalese sole Solea senegalensis; Vitamin