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Digestive enzyme activity during early larval development of the Cuban gar Atractosteus tristoechus

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Abstract

The ontogenesis of digestive enzymes (proteases, amylases, lipases, and phosphatases) in Cuban gar Atractosteus tristoechus was determined in larvae between 5 and 18 days after hatching (DAH). Variations in specific activities of most enzymes were related to the transition from endogenous to exogenous feeding and to the transition from the larval to the juvenile stage. Alkaline protease activity was not detected until 8 DAH in contrast to acid protease activity, which was quantifiable at 5 DAH. Acid protease activity was consistently higher than alkaline protease activity, indicating the presence of a functional stomach in the early stages of larval development. The acid protease activities of larvae and adults were compared by means of zymogram analysis. Four acid protease bands were found in adults (two more than in larvae). This result is the first time that more than one band of acid proteolytic activity has been found in Lepisosteidae. High lipase activity indicated the importance of lipid utilization, particularly during yolk-sac absorption. In contrast to the other enzymes studied, amylase activity was consistently low, probably due to the strictly carnivorous diet of gar larvae and their low capacity for carbohydrate digestion. High activities of aminopeptidase and acid and alkaline phosphatases suggest intestinal absorption. This result, together with the existence of a short gut and a lower proteolytic activity in the intestine than in the stomach, suggest that most of the proteolytic activity takes place in the stomach, while the primary function of the intestine is nutrient uptake.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by Centro de Investigaciones Marinas (CIM) and Centro de Reproducción de la Ictiofauna Indígena from Cuba, the Iberoamerican organization CYTED (Red II-C “Nutrición en Acuicultura”) and CONACyT-SEMARNAT-2002-CO1–0882 from Mexico. The authors wish to thank Dr. J. Canabal for his excellent technical assistance during the experiment and Gabriel Márquez M.Sc. (Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, México) for his dependable and absolute aid. Special thanks to Dr. Allyse Ferrara (Nicholls State University, USA) and Melvis Rojas fortheEnglish corrections.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Investigaciones Marinas, Universidad de la Habana, Calle 16 no. 114 e/ 1ra y 3ra, Miramar, Playa, Havana, Cuba

    Y. Comabella & T. García-Galano

  2. Grupo Ecofisiología, Fac. de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey, Mexico

    R. Mendoza & C. Aguilera

  3. Facultad de Biología, Universidad de la Habana, Havana, Ciudad de la Habana, Cuba

    O. Carrillo

  4. Centro de Reproducción de la Ictiofauna Indígena, Ciénaga de Zapata, Cuba

    A. Hurtado

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  1. Y. Comabella
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  2. R. Mendoza
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Correspondence to T. García-Galano.

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Comabella, Y., Mendoza, R., Aguilera, C. et al. Digestive enzyme activity during early larval development of the Cuban gar Atractosteus tristoechus . Fish Physiol Biochem 32, 147–157 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10695-006-0007-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10695-006-0007-4

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