Assessing the Tolerance of Spotted Longbarbel Catfish as a Candidate Species for Aquaculture to Ammonia Nitrogen Exposure
The spotted longbarbel catfish, <i>Hemibagrus guttatus</i>, a nationally protected Class II species in China, faces increasing threats from habitat degradation. Recently, the spotted longbarbel catfish has gained attention as a promising aquaculture species, not only for its premium fles...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-07-01
|
| Series: | Animals |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/14/2035 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1839616699550138368 |
|---|---|
| author | Song Guo Linwei Yang Xiaopeng Xu |
| author_facet | Song Guo Linwei Yang Xiaopeng Xu |
| author_sort | Song Guo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The spotted longbarbel catfish, <i>Hemibagrus guttatus</i>, a nationally protected Class II species in China, faces increasing threats from habitat degradation. Recently, the spotted longbarbel catfish has gained attention as a promising aquaculture species, not only for its premium flesh quality but also for its potential role in conservation through sustainable captive breeding programs. Ammonia nitrogen (ammonia-N) is a ubiquitous byproduct of intensive farming and serves as the primary environmental stressor confronting aquatic species. Elucidating the ammonia-N tolerance of spotted longbarbel catfish constitutes a critical prerequisite for its successful domestication, which is the aim of this study. We demonstrate that ammonia-N stress significantly decreases the survival rate of spotted longbarbel catfish and induces tissue damage, including gill lamella proliferation, hepatocyte blurring, and renal necrosis. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that ammonia-N stress promotes the expression of genes related to endoplasmic reticulum stress, heat-shock proteins, immune response, and apoptosis, while inhibiting antioxidant-related genes and Wnt-related genes. Enzymatic assays indicate that ammonia-N stress inhibits the activities of multiple antioxidant enzymes, including SOD, CAT, GSH, GSH-Px, and T-AOC. Microbiome analysis showed that ammonia-N stress altered the intestinal microbial community by increasing harmful bacteria (e.g., <i>Vibrio</i> and <i>Aeromonas</i>) and suppressing beneficial bacteria (e.g., <i>Cetobacterium</i> and <i>Lactococcus</i>). These findings highlight the comprehensive negative impacts of ammonia-N on the health of the spotted longbarbel catfish and provide a theoretical basis for optimizing aquaculture conditions to support the sustainable protection and domestication of the spotted longbarbel catfish. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-f61fcea7ada0400b9c2d45f591b6c766 |
| institution | Matheson Library |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj-art-f61fcea7ada0400b9c2d45f591b6c7662025-07-25T13:10:49ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152025-07-011514203510.3390/ani15142035Assessing the Tolerance of Spotted Longbarbel Catfish as a Candidate Species for Aquaculture to Ammonia Nitrogen ExposureSong Guo0Linwei Yang1Xiaopeng Xu2Smart Agriculture College (Internet of Things Engineering College), Guangxi Science & Technology Normal University, Laibin 546199, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Mariculture Breeding, Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology of Fujian Provint, College of Marine Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), China-ASEAN Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Mariculture Technology, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, ChinaThe spotted longbarbel catfish, <i>Hemibagrus guttatus</i>, a nationally protected Class II species in China, faces increasing threats from habitat degradation. Recently, the spotted longbarbel catfish has gained attention as a promising aquaculture species, not only for its premium flesh quality but also for its potential role in conservation through sustainable captive breeding programs. Ammonia nitrogen (ammonia-N) is a ubiquitous byproduct of intensive farming and serves as the primary environmental stressor confronting aquatic species. Elucidating the ammonia-N tolerance of spotted longbarbel catfish constitutes a critical prerequisite for its successful domestication, which is the aim of this study. We demonstrate that ammonia-N stress significantly decreases the survival rate of spotted longbarbel catfish and induces tissue damage, including gill lamella proliferation, hepatocyte blurring, and renal necrosis. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that ammonia-N stress promotes the expression of genes related to endoplasmic reticulum stress, heat-shock proteins, immune response, and apoptosis, while inhibiting antioxidant-related genes and Wnt-related genes. Enzymatic assays indicate that ammonia-N stress inhibits the activities of multiple antioxidant enzymes, including SOD, CAT, GSH, GSH-Px, and T-AOC. Microbiome analysis showed that ammonia-N stress altered the intestinal microbial community by increasing harmful bacteria (e.g., <i>Vibrio</i> and <i>Aeromonas</i>) and suppressing beneficial bacteria (e.g., <i>Cetobacterium</i> and <i>Lactococcus</i>). These findings highlight the comprehensive negative impacts of ammonia-N on the health of the spotted longbarbel catfish and provide a theoretical basis for optimizing aquaculture conditions to support the sustainable protection and domestication of the spotted longbarbel catfish.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/14/2035spotted longbarbel catfishcandidate speciesammonia nitrogentolerancetranscriptomic |
| spellingShingle | Song Guo Linwei Yang Xiaopeng Xu Assessing the Tolerance of Spotted Longbarbel Catfish as a Candidate Species for Aquaculture to Ammonia Nitrogen Exposure Animals spotted longbarbel catfish candidate species ammonia nitrogen tolerance transcriptomic |
| title | Assessing the Tolerance of Spotted Longbarbel Catfish as a Candidate Species for Aquaculture to Ammonia Nitrogen Exposure |
| title_full | Assessing the Tolerance of Spotted Longbarbel Catfish as a Candidate Species for Aquaculture to Ammonia Nitrogen Exposure |
| title_fullStr | Assessing the Tolerance of Spotted Longbarbel Catfish as a Candidate Species for Aquaculture to Ammonia Nitrogen Exposure |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessing the Tolerance of Spotted Longbarbel Catfish as a Candidate Species for Aquaculture to Ammonia Nitrogen Exposure |
| title_short | Assessing the Tolerance of Spotted Longbarbel Catfish as a Candidate Species for Aquaculture to Ammonia Nitrogen Exposure |
| title_sort | assessing the tolerance of spotted longbarbel catfish as a candidate species for aquaculture to ammonia nitrogen exposure |
| topic | spotted longbarbel catfish candidate species ammonia nitrogen tolerance transcriptomic |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/14/2035 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT songguo assessingthetoleranceofspottedlongbarbelcatfishasacandidatespeciesforaquaculturetoammonianitrogenexposure AT linweiyang assessingthetoleranceofspottedlongbarbelcatfishasacandidatespeciesforaquaculturetoammonianitrogenexposure AT xiaopengxu assessingthetoleranceofspottedlongbarbelcatfishasacandidatespeciesforaquaculturetoammonianitrogenexposure |