Effects of re-stripping on the seminal characteristics of pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus) during the breeding season.

Seminal characteristics in teleost fish with an annual reproductive period, such as pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus), may vary during the breeding season. The sperm formed before the beginning of the spawning period may be stored for a long time, causing damage to the cells. Therefore, re-stripping may be an important way to eliminate the "old" and allow for the collection of "new" spermatozoids. In this study, we analyzed the seminal characteristics of hormonally induced pacu at the beginning, middle and end of the breeding season, and we analyzed samples from re-stripped males (stripped first at the beginning, re-stripped in the middle, and re-stripped again at the end of the season) during two breeding seasons. The sperm density, ionic composition, pH, and osmolality were similar among the groups. The semen volume, seminal plasma protein concentration and incidence of morphologically anomalous sperm increased over time. In addition, some parameters that are associated with good-quality semen decreased, such as sperm motility, viability and DNA integrity. Moreover, we observed a positive association among motility, viability and DNA integrity for sperm with elevated 11-ketotestosterone, but there was no such association for fshb or lhb mRNA levels in the pituitary. The semen that was obtained earlier (at the beginning) or from re-stripped males exhibited better characteristics than the other samples collected. In conclusion, collecting semen from pacu at the end of breeding season should be avoided; it is preferable to strip early and then re-strip later in the season, and this approach may be used for diverse aquaculture purposes.

GH overexpression causes muscle hypertrophy independent from local IGF-I in a zebrafish transgenic model.

The aim of the present study was to analyse the morphology of white skeletal muscle in males and females from the GH-transgenic zebrafish (Danio rerio) lineage F0104, comparing the expression of genes related to the somatotrophic axis and myogenesis. Histological analysis demonstrated that transgenic fish presented enhanced muscle hypertrophy when compared to non-transgenic fish, with transgenic females being more hypertrophic than transgenic males. The expression of genes related to muscle growth revealed that transgenic hypertrophy is independent from local induction of insulin-like growth factor 1 gene (igf1). In addition, transgenic males exhibited significant induction of myogenin gene (myog) expression, indicating that myog may mediate hypertrophic growth in zebrafish males overexpressing GH. Induction of the α-actin gene (acta1) in males, independently from transgenesis, also was observed. There were no significant differences in total protein content from the muscle. Our results show that muscle hypertrophy is independent from muscle igf1, and is likely to be a direct effect of excess circulating GH and/or IGF1 in this transgenic zebrafish lineage.

Inappropriate management conditions, especially for the regressed class, are related to sperm quality in Prochilodus lineatus.

The aims of this study were to evaluate the characteristics of the reproductive classes and semen quality in curimbatá (Prochilodus lineatus) breeders maintained in two different rearing systems. To achieve this goal, cages (Cs) and earthen ponds (EPs) were used as experimental systems to provide unsuitable and suitable conditions, respectively. The fish were maintained under the experimental conditions for 18 months. During this period, males were randomly sampled every 2 months for biometric analysis (n = 30 per sample) and for an evaluation of selected characteristics of the testes (n = 5 per sample). After this period, males maintained in EPs and males maintained in Cs (CMs) were evaluated in induced breeding experiments. We observed that rearing P. lineatus in a C at a high stocking density for the long 18-month period of study produced reductions in growth, testis development, gonadosomatic index values, and sperm quality in the fish. We found differences between the groups in all the reproductive classes examined, especially in the regression class, which showed a pronounced accumulation of immature germ cells in the CMs. In this group, we also noted a less intense transition from a continuous to discontinuous germinal epithelium, with an extended and abnormal but less intense spermatogenic period resulting in decreases in semen volume and sperm concentration in the breeding season. Together, such dysfunctions resulted in the production of low-quality sperm in the CMs, as demonstrated by lower-quality DNA (as evaluated by the comet assay), low fertilization success, and low hatching success. In conclusion, to ensure high-quality semen in P. lineatus, appropriate management conditions must be provided throughout the reproductive cycle, especially for the regressed class, even in winter, two seasons before the breeding season.