Environmentally driven changes in Atlantic salmon oxidative status interact with physiological performance

Abstract

Farmed Atlantic salmon in sea cages experience natural seasonal changes in seawater temperature and photoperiod. Atlantic salmon have more oxidized tissues in spring and early summer, and this corresponds to the period of increasing day length, temperature, and growth rate. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the redox metabolism of Atlantic salmon exposed to the interaction of seasonal cues remain unclear. This study aims to investigate the effect of seasonal changes in temperature and photoperiod on the redox metabolism at the molecular level of Atlantic salmon. Salmon reared in tanks were subjected to simulated natural (for farmed salmon in sea cages) photoperiod and temperature to mimic spring and summer (March to August). We found that the changing photoperiod and temperature, which were simulated to spring and summer conditions, influenced the redox metabolism of Atlantic salmon over the experimental period. We showed that increased utilization of tissue antioxidants such as vitamin C, vitamin E, and reduced glutathione in the spring was restored in August. The more reduced glutathione-based redox potentials and the low levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) in August in liver and muscle suggest lowered tissue oxidative activity at that time. We further revealed that the expression profiles of genes involved in growth hormone signaling and cell cycle regulation were correlated with oxidative stress patterns. Together, these promising results reveal the molecular mechanisms underlying the ecological implications of oxidative status. The study provides new insight into the possible role redox signaling plays in the growth regulation of fish to the seasonal shift in environmental factors.