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Abstract: Pathogens can be distinctively recognized by the cells of the immune system through interactions between the Pathogen-Associated Molecular Patterns (PAMPs) that they produce and the innate immune receptors of leukocytes. The present paper reports on the PAMP-modulated expression of a group of genes expressed in trout macrophages. The genes were identified in subtracted libraries from lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated macrophages and their expression was analyzed using quantitative real time PCR following stimulation of the cells with E. coli LPS, poly (I:C) and zymosan; representing Gram-negative bacteria, viruses and fungi, respectively. Genes (SPINT1L, DDIT4L, STEAP4, and TNFAIP3), the expression of which was induced by LPS and zymosan, were not significantly up-regulated by poly(I:C) and the opposite was found for transcripts (HMGB1 and PSMB9) up-regulated by poly(I:C). Overall, the differences in gene expression were greater at a later stage of macrophage activation (24 h) at a time when stimulation with poly(I:C) resulted in substantially different responses as compared to LPS and, to a lesser extent, zymosan. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] Studied impacts of ethynylestradiol (EE2) exposure on salmon pituitary transcriptome. [•] High-throughput sequencing, RNAseq, and pathway analysis were performed. [•] EE2 altered mRNAs for genes in circadian rhythm, GnRH, and TGFβ signaling pathways. [•] LH and FSH beta subunit mRNAs were most highly up- and down-regulated by EE2, respectively. [•] Estrogens may alter processes associated with reproductive timing in salmon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Many teleost fishes exhibit sequential hermaphroditism, where male or female gonads develop first and later undergo sex change. Model sex change species are characterized by social hierarchies and coloration changes, which enable experimental manipulations to better understand these processes. However, other species such as the protogynous black sea bass (Centropristis striata) do not exhibit these characteristics and instead receive research attention due to their importance in fisheries or aquaculture. Black sea bass social structure is unknown, which makes sex change sampling difficult, and few molecular resources are available. The purpose of the present study was to induce sex change using exemestane, an aromatase inhibitor, and assess gonadal gene expression using sex markers (amh , zpc2) and genes involved in steroidogenesis (cyp19a1a , cyp11b), estrogen signaling (esr1 , esr2b), and apoptosis or atresia (aen , casp9 , fabp11 , parg , pdcd4 , rif1). Overall, dietary exemestane treatment was effective, and most exposed females exhibited early histological signs of sex change and significantly higher rates of ovarian atresia relative to control females. Genes associated with atresia did not reflect this, however, as expression patterns in sex changing gonads were overall similar to those of ovaries, likely due to a whole ovary dilution effect of the RNA. Still, small but insignificant expression decreases during early sex change were detected for ovary-related genes (aen , casp9 , fabp11 , zpc2) and anti-apoptotic factors (parg , rif1). Exemestane treatment did not impact spermatogenesis or testicular gene expression, but testes were generally characterized by elevated steroidogenic enzyme and estrogen receptor mRNAs. Further research will be needed to understand these processes in black sea bass, using isolated ovarian follicles and multiple stages of sex change. Highlights • Exemestane induced the initiation of female-to-male sex change in black sea bass. • Exemestane-exposed females exhibited significantly greater ovarian atresia than control fish. • Males did not exhibit gonadal effects from exemestane treatment. • All testes exhibited elevated steroidogenic enzyme and estrogen receptor mRNAs. • Small decreases in apoptosis-related mRNAs were evident in sex changing gonads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Juvenile sablefish were fed a low taurine, basal feed with seven graded levels of supplemental taurine to determine taurine requirements for growth and feed efficiency. The basal feed was plant based, formulated primarily with soy and corn proteins with a minimal (9%) amount of fishmeal. The unsupplemented, basal feed contained 0.14% taurine. Experimental feeds were supplemented with 0, 0.25, 0.50, 1.0, 1.5, 3.0, and 6.0% taurine. Using the five parameter, saturated kinetic model (5 SKM), peak weight gain was predicted at 1.5% dietary taurine. Optimum weight gain, as defined as the region of the 5 SKM curve corresponding to at least 95% of peak, was predicted between 0.4% and 5.8% dietary taurine. Peak feed efficiency was predicted at 1.1% dietary taurine with optimum weight gain predicted between 0.4% and 4.2%. Whole body and muscle tissue protein and lipid content were not affected by taurine supplementation. Tissue taurine content increased asymptotically with increasing dietary taurine supplementation. Whole body tissue became saturated at 0.25 ± 0.02% taurine, expressed on a wet weight basis. Muscle tissue became saturated at 0.34 ± 0.02% taurine. Results from this study should increase the performance of alternative, plant based feeds formulated for sablefish and enable regulatory agencies better estimate the potential human exposure to taurine from the consumption of sablefish receiving these feeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]