Project description:Catfish farming remains number one among U.S. aquaculture production. Flavobacterium columnare, the causative agent of columnaris disease, produces substantial mortality during the production of freshwater farmed finfish species. F. columnare is ubiquitous in the aquatic environment, and outbreaks of disease are often triggered during the spring and summer months of the catfish production cycle. As food fish production continues to increase, the frequency of columnaris disease will only continue to rise within the aquaculture industry and thus new preventative measures will be required. Copper sulfate is the most common algaecide used in aquaculture. Copper sulfate has also been suggested as a therapeutant for columnaris disease, as we have previously discovered copper sulfate treatment effects the survivability and gill histology of channel catfish during an infection with F. columnare. Therefore to evaluate the functional effects of treatment with copper sulfate on columnaris disease, we performed RNA sequencing on gill samples from control and copper sulfate-treated catfish either immediately (more susceptible) or 24 hours after (more resistant) copper treatment followed by a challenge with F. columnare. We evaluated the differential gene expression patterns over the time-course of infection between groups with a focus on identifying functional differences in immune function.
Project description:Catfish farming remains number one among U.S. aquaculture production. Flavobacterium columnare, the causative agent of columnaris disease, produces substantial mortality during the production of freshwater farmed finfish species. F. columnare is ubiquitous in the aquatic environment, and outbreaks of disease are often triggered during the spring and summer months of the catfish production cycle. As food fish production continues to increase, the frequency of columnaris disease will only continue to rise within the aquaculture industry and thus new preventative measures will be required. Vaccination against different fish pathogens has proven to be an effective disease management practice within the aquaculture industry. To evaluate the immunological effect of bath immunization on catfish with a recombinant F. columnare DNAk protein vaccine, we performed RNA sequencing on skin samples from control and rDNAK immunized catfish at different time intervals. We evaluated the different gene expression patterns between the groups with a focus on identifying differences in innate and adaptive immune function.
Project description:Channel catfish and blue catfish represent two economically important freshwater aquaculture species in the United States. Our study aims to investigate the gene expression differences between these two catfish species by high-throughput RNA sequencing to understand their associated phenotypic differences in growth and disease resistant. Our transcriptomic analyses provide some insights into gene function differences between the two species and the molecular basis of channel catfish growth advantage in the tank culture environment.
Project description:Catfish farming is the largest aquaculture industry in the U.S., where hybrid catfish produced by channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus ♀ × blue catfish, I. furcatus ♂, represent >50% of the harvest. Typically, older blue catfish (≥5 years) are selected for artificial fertilization. However, observations at our facilities and reports from hatcheries indicate a high degree of variation in reproductive performance among individuals. Thus, it is essential to establish links between paternal age and reproductive success, as it is apparent that advanced paternal age leads to changes in reproductive performance. Since there are no prior studies regarding the changes in testis transcriptome in blue catfish males during aging, we evaluated global gene expression of testis at age 2,4,7 and 9. Significant differential expressed genes and gene ontology of pairwise comparisons between age 2 and each test age are presented and discussed.
2025-03-17 | GSE290987 | GEO
Project description:Effect of sulfate on surface sediment microorganisms in freshwater aquaculture ponds
Project description:Copper has long been applied for agricultural practices. Like other metals, copper is highly persistent in the environment and biologically active long after its use has ceased. Here we present a unique study on the long-term effects (27 years) of copper and pH on soil microbial communities and on Folsomia candida, an important representative of the soil macrofauna, in an experiment with a full factorial, random block design. Bacterial communities were mostly affected by pH. These effects were prominent in Acidobacteria, while Actinobacteria and Gammaroteobacteria communities were affected by original and bioavailable copper. Reproduction and survival of the collembolan F. candida was not affected by the studied copper concentrations. However, the transcriptomic responses to copper reflected a mechanism of copper transport and detoxification, while pH exerted effects on nucleotide and protein metabolism and (acute) inflammatory response. We conclude that microbial community structure explained the history of copper contamination, while gene expression analysis of F. candida is associated with the current level of bioavailable copper. Combined analysis at various trophic levels is highly relevant in the context of assessing long-term soil pollution. A single channel, interwoven loop design was used to test animals exposed to the copper-spiked field soil samples. The field soil was spiked with 4 copper and 4 pH treatments yielding 16 combinations. Combinations are displayed in the Sample descriptions, with 1 M-bM-^@M-^S 4 representing the copper concentrations from low to high, and A-D representing the soil pH from low to high. 4 biological replicates per copper/pH combination were used. Each replicate contained 25 grams of soil and thirty 23-day-old animals.
Project description:Copper sulfate has been explored as an FDA-approved alternative to treat antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains. Questions remain as it relates to the full-systems response elicited to counteract its toxic effects, especially in the context of a non-lethal exposure. We explored the transcriptomic response profile of Escherichia coli K12 BW25113 when challenged to grow planktonically for 10 hours in M9-glucose minimal media spiked with a sublethal concentration of copper sulfate (39 µM, 6.22 µg/mL). Our results yielded changes in gene expresson levels: 80 genes were up-regulated, while 76 were down-regulated in our copper sulfate treatment. Some biological processes became dysregulated to cope with the presence of this metal stressor, including iron metabolism, sulfur metabolism, cysteine biosynthesis, and the copper homeostasis systems Cue and Cus. Altogether, this work provides a valuable snapshot of how our indicator strain adapts to metal-induced stress. This is a significant step in understanding how bacteria can adjust their physiology to coexist with sublethal concentrations of metal-based antimicrobials.
Project description:Iron is an essential cofactor for enzymes involved in numerous cellular processes. We analyzed the metabolomes and transcriptomes of yeast grown in iron-rich and iron-poor media to determine which biosynthetic processes are altered when iron availability falls. Saccharomyces cerevisiae DBY7286 strain was grown from very low density to mid-log phase (A600 = 0.5, approximately 18 hrs.) in defined-iron SD minimal medium containing only the supplements necessary to meet auxotrophic requirements. Defined-iron SD minimal media were prepared with yeast nitrogen base lacking iron and copper, supplemented with 1 µM copper sulfate, 25 mM MES pH 6.1, 1 mM Ferrozine (Fluka), and the indicated concentrations of ferrous ammonium sulfate 10 µM (low iron) or 300 µM (high iron). All cells were grown at 30°C with shaking and four independent cultures were prepared for each growth condition
Project description:Microbial effects of livestock manure fertilization on freshwater aquaculture ponds rearing tilapia, O. shiranus, and African catfish, C. gariepinus
Project description:Catfish is the most important species in US aquaculture, accounting for 70% of freshwater production. The production of hybrids of female channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) and male blue catfish (I. furcatus) constitutes over 50% of the total harvest due to their superior production traits and enhanced disease resistance. However, hybrids cannot be produced naturally, and male must be euthanized for sperm collection. An appropriate storage condition is essential to preserve the sperm’s ability to fertilize eggs during the female spawning season. Cryopreservation is a widely used method for sperm storage. However, it has been shown to affect sperm gene expression in many vertebrate species. A high degree of individual variability among cryopreserved sperm was reported, resulting in huge variations in hatch rate. Since high-quality gametes are the prerequisites for hybrid catfish reproduction, in this study, we investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying male reproductive performance, which is critical for the accurate prediction of hatching rate and offspring performance in hatchery environments.