Environmental pollution and toxic substances: Cellular apoptosis as a key parameter in a sensible model like fish.

The industrial wastes, sewage effluents, agricultural run-off and decomposition of biological waste may cause high environmental concentration of chemicals that can interfere with the cell cycle activating the programmed process of cells death (apoptosis). In order to provide a detailed understanding of environmental pollutants-induced apoptosis, here we reviewed the current knowledge on the interactions of environmental chemicals and programmed cell death. Metals (aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, zinc, copper, mercury and silver) as well as other chemicals including bleached kraft pulp mill effluent (BKME), persistent organic pollutants (POPs), and pesticides (organo-phosphated, organo-chlorinated, carbamates, phyretroids and biopesticides) were evaluated in relation to apoptotic pathways, heat shock proteins and metallothioneins.

Skin Mucus Protein Profile, Immune Parameters, Immune-Related Gene Expression, and Growth Performance of Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Fed White Button Mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) Powder.

An 8-week feeding trial was performed to assess the effects of dietary white button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) powder (WBMP) on the mucosal immunity and growth of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Trout (n = 192; weight 13.76 ± 1.

Dietary Immunogen modulated digestive enzyme activity and immune gene expression in Litopenaeus vannamei post larvae.

Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei (Boone, 1931) is an important economical shrimp species worldwide, especially in the Middle East region, and farming activities of this species have been largely affected by diseases, mostly viral and bacterial diseases. Scientists have started to use prebiotics for bolstering the immune status of the animal. This study aimed to investigate the influence of Immunogen on growth, digestive enzyme activity and immune related gene expression of Litopenaeus vannamei post-larvae.

Apoptosis in fish: environmental factors and programmed cell death.

Apoptosis, a form of programmed cell death, is a critical component in maintaining homeostasis and growth in all tissues and plays a significant role in immunity and cytotoxicity. In contrast to necrosis or traumatic cell death, apoptosis is a well-controlled and vital process characterized mainly by cytoplasmic shrinkage, chromatin condensation, DNA fragmentation, membrane blebbing and apoptotic bodies. Our understanding of apoptosis is partly based on observations in invertebrates but mainly in mammals.

Dietary effect of apple cider vinegar and propionic acid on immune related transcriptional responses and growth performance in white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei.

This experiment was conducted to study the effect of various levels of ACV and Propionic acid (PA) on expression of immune related genes and growth performance in white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei). Three hundred and seventy-five shrimps with an average initial weight of 10.2 ± 0.

Immune related transcriptional responses and performance of Litopenaeus vannamei post-larvae fed on dietary probiotic PrimaLac(®).

The present study investigated the effects of various levels of multi-strain probiotic on the immune related gene expression, digestive enzyme activity, growth performance, body chemical composition and survival of Litopenaeus vannamei post-larvae. After transferring post-larvae of L. vannamei to indoor conditions and subsequent acclimation to laboratory condition for 14 days, the shrimp were fed multi-strain probiotic at four different doses of 0, 0.

The effects of galactooligosaccharide on systemic and mucosal immune response, growth performance and appetite related gene transcript in goldfish (Carassius auratus gibelio).

The present study investigates the effects of supplementation of goldfish (Carassius auratus gibelio) diet with galactooligosaccharide (GOS) on serum immune response, mucosal immune parameters as well as appetite-related (Ghrelin) and immune-related (TNF-1α and TNF-2α) genes expression. One hundred and eighty fish with an average weight of 4.88 ± 0.

Exposure of Persian sturgeon (Acipenser persicus) to cadmium results in biochemical, histological and transcriptional alterations.

Sturgeon is one of the endangered families of fish in the Caspian Sea region, where there is up to 80% of their global caching. Unfortunately, in recent years, increase of pollutants has been resulted in their total population reduction. Due to their benthic nature, sturgeons are at great risk of exposing to contaminants such as cadmium.

Increased stocking density causes changes in expression of selected stress- and immune-related genes, humoral innate immune parameters and stress responses of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).

The present study investigated the effects of various stocking densities on the health status (stress and immune responses) of rainbow trout (Onchorhynchus mykiss). Juvenile rainbow trout were acclimated, placed in circular tanks under stocking densities of 10, 40 and 80 kg m(-3) and reared for 30 days. The relative expression of genes involved in stress and immunity such as HSP70, LyzII, TNF-1α, IL-1β, IL-8 and IFN-γ1 in the head kidney was determined.

Determination of toxic (Pb, Cd) and essential (Zn, Mn) metals in canned tuna fish produced in Iran.

Background: Metal pollution of waterways directly affects human health and can impact the food chain. Seafood living in polluted water can accumulate trace metals. The purpose of this study was to analyze the toxic metals Pb and Cd and the dietary essential metals Zn and Mn in 120 cans of tuna species from four different brands processed in Iran and purchased in 2012.

Subfunctionalization of cyprinid hypoxia-inducible factors for roles in development and oxygen sensing.

Among vertebrates, teleost fishes have evolved the most impressive adaptations to variable oxygen tensions in water (Shoubridge and Hochachka 1980; Nilsson and Randall 2010). Under conditions of oxygen deprivation (hypoxia), major changes in gene expression are mediated by hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF alpha). Here we show that hif alpha genes were duplicated in the teleost specific whole-genome duplication.

Developmental transcription of genes putatively associated with growth in two sturgeon species of different growth rate.

In the present study, we surveyed developmental changes in the transcription of growth hormone (gh), insulin-like growth factor-I (igf-I), ghrelin (ghrl) and vascular endothelial growth factor (vegf) genes in the largest freshwater fish, European sturgeon (Beluga, Huso huso) and compared the same parameters to that of its phylogenically close moderate-sized species, Persian sturgeon (Acipenser persicus). The transcripts of gh, igf-I, ghrl and vegf were detected at all developmental time-points of Persian sturgeon and Beluga from embryos to juvenile fish. Changes in normalized gh, igf-I, ghrl and vegf transcription by using the geometric average of genes encoding ribosomal protein L6 (RPL6) and elongation factor (EF1A) over the time of development of Persian sturgeon and Beluga were statistically significant (P<0.