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Different environmental temperatures affect amino acid metabolism in the eurytherm teleost Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis Kaup, 1858) as indicated by changes in plasma metabolites

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Abstract

Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis) is a eurytherm teleost that under natural conditions can be exposed to annual water temperature fluctuations between 12 and 26°C. This study assessed the effects of temperature on sole metabolic status, in particular in what concerns plasma free amino acid changes during thermal acclimation. Senegalese sole maintained at 18°C were acclimated to either cold (12°C) or warm (26°C) environmental temperatures for 21 days. Fish maintained at 18°C served as control. Plasma concentrations of cortisol, glucose, lactate, triglycerides, proteins, and free amino acids were assessed. Cold acclimation influenced interrenal responses of sole by increasing cortisol release. Moreover, plasma glucose and lactate concentrations increased linearly with temperature, presumably reflecting a higher metabolic activity of sole acclimated to 26°C. Acclimation temperature affected more drastically plasma concentrations of dispensable than that of indispensable amino acids, and different acclimation temperatures induced different responses. Asparagine, glutamine and ornithine seem to be of particular importance for ammonia detoxification mechanisms, synthesis of triglycerides that may be used during homeoviscous adaptation and, to a lesser extent, as energetic substrates in specimens acclimated to 12°C. When sole is acclimated to 26°C taurine, glutamate, GABA and glycine increased, which may suggest important roles as antioxidant defences, in osmoregulatory processes and/or for energetic purposes at this thermal regimen. In conclusion, acclimation to different environmental temperatures induces several metabolic changes in Senegalese sole, suggesting that amino acids may be important for thermal acclimation.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by projects STRESSAA–POCTI/CVT/49324/2002 (FCT, Portugal and FEDER), AGL2007-61211/ACU (Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia, Spain) and Proyecto de Excelencia PO7-RNM-02843 (Consejería de Innovación, Ciencia y Empresa. Junta de Andalucía) to J.M.M. Benjamín Costas and Cláudia Aragão were supported by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, Portugal (SFRH/BD/38697/2007 and SFRH/BPD/37197/2007, respectively). The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CCMAR-CIMAR L.A., Centro de Ciências do Mar do Algarve, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139, Faro, Portugal

    Benjamín Costas, Cláudia Aragão, Maria T. Dinis & Luís E. C. Conceição

  2. Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y Ambientales, Universidad de Cádiz, Puerto Real, 11510, Cádiz, España

    Ignacio Ruiz-Jarabo, Luis Vargas-Chacoff, Francisco J. Arjona & Juan M. Mancera

  3. Instituto de Ciencias Marinas y Limnológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile

    Luis Vargas-Chacoff

  4. CIIMAR-CIMAR L.A., Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental, Rua dos Bragas 289, 4050-123, Porto, Portugal

    Benjamín Costas

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  1. Benjamín Costas
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  2. Cláudia Aragão
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Correspondence to Benjamín Costas.

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Costas, B., Aragão, C., Ruiz-Jarabo, I. et al. Different environmental temperatures affect amino acid metabolism in the eurytherm teleost Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis Kaup, 1858) as indicated by changes in plasma metabolites. Amino Acids 43, 327–335 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-011-1082-0

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