Evolutionary and ecological correlates of thiaminase in fishes.

ABSTRACT: Thiamine (vitamin B₁) is required by all living organisms in multiple metabolic pathways. It is scarce in natural systems, and deficiency can lead to reproductive failure, neurological issues, and death. One major cause of thiamine deficiency is an overreliance on diet items containing the enzyme thiaminase. Thiaminase activity has been noted in many prey fishes and linked to cohort failure in salmonid predators that eat prey fish with thiaminase activity, yet it is generally unknown whether evolutionary history, fish traits, and/or environmental conditions lead to production of thiaminase. We conducted literature and GenBank BLAST sequence searches to collect thiaminase activity data and sequence homology data in expressed protein sequences for 300 freshwater and marine fishes.

SUBMITTER: Rowland FE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10598016 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature