Angelakopoulos Rafael, Tsipourlianos Andreas, Fytsili Alexia E, Papaharisis Leonidas, Dimitroglou Arkadios, Barkas Dimitrios, Mamuris Zissis, Giannoulis Themistoklis, Moutou Katerina A
Laboratory of Genetics, Comparative and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Thessaly, Biopolis, 41500 Larissa, Greece.
Avramar Aquaculture SA, 19002 Athens, Greece.
Animals (Basel). 2025 Apr 30;15(9):1279. doi: 10.3390/ani15091279.
The sustainable growth of finfish farming relies heavily on reducing the high ecological footprint of sourcing and producing fish feeds that accounts for almost 50% of the total ecological footprint of finfish farming. Sustainable alternatives to fishmeal often pose challenges due to the presence of antinutritional factors and nutrient imbalances that impair fish health and growth. Screening for alternative nutrient sources and adapting to global commodity fluctuations requires modern tools that can predict the physiological responses of fish early and reliably. The present study explores for the first time the potential of fish red blood cell (RBC) transcriptome as a minimally invasive biomarker of physiological responses in gilthead seabream () fed either a fishmeal-based (FM) or a plant-protein-based (PP) diet. Blood samples were collected at multiple time points (15, 20, and 30 days post-diet initiation) from genetically diverse full-sib families reared under commercial conditions, integrating transcriptomic analysis with long-term growth assessments. Differential gene expression analysis revealed significant dietary effects on oxidative phosphorylation, ribosomal capacity, and lipid metabolism pathways, highlighting metabolic plasticity and cellular adaptations to plant-based feeds. The downregulation of oxidative phosphorylation genes suggests a metabolic shift in response to altered nutrient composition, while ribosomal pathway modulation indicates potential constraints on protein synthesis. These transcriptomic shifts, conserved across two independent experiments, reinforce the utility of RBCs as a real-time indicator of fish physiological status, offering a tool for monitoring dietary impacts and optimizing feed formulations. Such insights are essential for advancing sustainable, nutritionally balanced aquaculture feeds that support fish welfare and productivity. The minimally invasive sample collection respects the 3Rs (Reduce, Refine, Replace) principle in animal experimentation and allows for frequent screening and generation of refined data.
鱼类养殖的可持续增长在很大程度上依赖于减少采购和生产鱼饲料所产生的高生态足迹，鱼饲料的生态足迹几乎占鱼类养殖总生态足迹的50%。由于存在抗营养因子和营养失衡，会损害鱼类健康和生长，鱼粉的可持续替代物往往带来挑战。筛选替代营养源并适应全球商品波动需要现代工具，能够早期且可靠地预测鱼类的生理反应。本研究首次探索了鱼类红细胞（RBC）转录组作为金头鲷（）生理反应的微创生物标志物的潜力，这些金头鲷分别投喂基于鱼粉（FM）或基于植物蛋白（PP）的饲料。在商业条件下饲养的遗传多样的全同胞家系中，在多个时间点（开始投喂饲料后15、20和30天）采集血样，将转录组分析与长期生长评估相结合。差异基因表达分析揭示了饮食对氧化磷酸化、核糖体能力和脂质代谢途径有显著影响，突出了代谢可塑性和细胞对植物性饲料的适应性。氧化磷酸化基因的下调表明对营养成分改变的代谢转变，而核糖体途径的调节表明对蛋白质合成的潜在限制。这些转录组变化在两个独立实验中是保守的，强化了红细胞作为鱼类生理状态实时指标的效用，提供了一种监测饮食影响和优化饲料配方的工具。这些见解对于推进支持鱼类健康和生产力的可持续、营养均衡的水产养殖饲料至关重要。微创样本采集符合动物实验中的3R（减少、优化、替代）原则，并允许频繁筛选和生成精确数据。
