title: Optimal dietary protein level improved growth, disease resistance, intestinal immune and physical barrier function of young grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella).
abstract: This study investigated the effects of dietary proteins on the growth, disease resistance, intestinal immune and physical barrier functions of young grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella). A total of 540 young grass carp (264.11 ± 0.76 g) were fed six diets containing graded levels of protein (143.1, 176.7, 217.2, 257.5, 292.2 and 322.8 g digestible protein kg(-1) diet) for 8 weeks. After the growth trial, fish were challenged with Aeromonas hydrophila and mortalities were recorded for 14 days. The results indicated that optimal dietary protein levels: increased the production of antibacterial components, up-regulated anti-inflammatory cytokines, inhibitor of κBα, target of rapamycin and ribosomal protein S6 kinases 1 mRNA levels, whereas down-regulated pro-inflammatory cytokines, nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) P65, NF-κB P52, c-Rel, IκB kinase β, IκB kinase γ and eIF4E-binding proteins 2 mRNA levels in three intestinal segments of young grass carp (P < 0.05), suggesting that optimal dietary protein level could enhance fish intestinal immune barrier function; up-regulated the mRNA levels of tight junction complexes, B-cell lymphoma protein-2, inhibitor of apoptosis proteins, myeloid cell leukemia-1 and NF-E2-related factor 2, and increased the activities and mRNA levels of antioxidant enzymes, whereas down-regulated myosin light chain kinase, cysteinyl aspartic acid-protease 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, fatty acid synthetase ligand, apoptotic protease activating factor-1, Bcl-2 associated X protein, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase and Kelch-like-ECH-associated protein 1b mRNA levels, and decreased reactive oxygen species, malondialdehyde and protein carbonyl contents in three intestinal segments of young grass carp (P < 0.05), indicating that optimal dietary protein level could improve fish intestinal physical barrier function. Finally, the optimal dietary protein levels for the growth performance (PWG) and against enteritis morbidity of young grass carp were estimated to be 286.82 g kg(-1) diet (250.66 g digestible protein kg(-1) diet) and 292.10 g kg(-1) diet (255.47 g digestible protein kg(-1) diet), respectively.
authors.affiliation: Animal Nutrition Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Sichuan, Chengdu 611130, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Animal Nutrition Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Sichuan, Chengdu 611130, China; Fish Nutrition and Safety Production University Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Sichuan, Chengdu 611130, China; Key Laboratory for Animal Disease-Resistance Nutrition of China Ministry of Education, Sichuan Agricultural University, Sichuan, Chengdu 611130, China.
authors.forename: Pei
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Animal Nutrition Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Sichuan, Chengdu 611130, China; Fish Nutrition and Safety Production University Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Sichuan, Chengdu 611130, China; Key Laboratory for Animal Disease-Resistance Nutrition of China Ministry of Education, Sichuan Agricultural University, Sichuan, Chengdu 611130, China.
authors.forename: Wei-Dan
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Animal Nutrition Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Sichuan, Chengdu 611130, China; Fish Nutrition and Safety Production University Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Sichuan, Chengdu 611130, China; Key Laboratory for Animal Disease-Resistance Nutrition of China Ministry of Education, Sichuan Agricultural University, Sichuan, Chengdu 611130, China.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Animal Nutrition Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Sichuan, Chengdu 611130, China; Fish Nutrition and Safety Production University Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Sichuan, Chengdu 611130, China; Key Laboratory for Animal Disease-Resistance Nutrition of China Ministry of Education, Sichuan Agricultural University, Sichuan, Chengdu 611130, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Animal Nutrition Institute, Sichuan Academy of Animal Science, Chengdu 610066, China.
authors.forename: Sheng-Yao
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Kuang
authors.affiliation: Animal Nutrition Institute, Sichuan Academy of Animal Science, Chengdu 610066, China.
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Animal Nutrition Institute, Sichuan Academy of Animal Science, Chengdu 610066, China.
authors.forename: Wu-Neng
authors.initials: WN
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China.
authors.forename: Yong-An
authors.initials: YA
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Animal Nutrition Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Sichuan, Chengdu 611130, China; Fish Nutrition and Safety Production University Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Sichuan, Chengdu 611130, China; Key Laboratory for Animal Disease-Resistance Nutrition of China Ministry of Education, Sichuan Agricultural University, Sichuan, Chengdu 611130, China. Electronic address: xqzhouqq@tom.com.
authors.forename: Xiao-Qiu
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Animal Nutrition Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Sichuan, Chengdu 611130, China; Fish Nutrition and Safety Production University Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Sichuan, Chengdu 611130, China; Key Laboratory for Animal Disease-Resistance Nutrition of China Ministry of Education, Sichuan Agricultural University, Sichuan, Chengdu 611130, China. Electronic address: fenglin@sicau.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Feng
mesh_terms: D016980:Aeromonas hydrophila / Q000502:physiology; D000821:Animal Feed / Q000032:analysis; D000818:Animals; D002347:Carps; D004032:Diet / Q000662:veterinary*; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005393:Fish Diseases / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D029941:Fish Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D016905:Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D007422:Intestines / Q000502:physiology; D011897:Random Allocation; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D004044:Dietary Proteins; D029941:Fish Proteins
keywords: Antioxidant; Apoptosis; Disease resistance; Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella); Intestinal immune; Protein; Tight junction