Application of Metabolomics Approaches and Reporting Standards in Aquaculture

A special issue of Metabolites (ISSN 2218-1989). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Metabolism".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2024 | Viewed by 5369

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Institute for Applied Ecology New Zealand, School of Applied Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, Private Bag 92006, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
Interests: aquaculture; metabolomics; energy metabolism; stress responses

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Co-Guest Editor
Human Metabolomics, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2531, South Africa
Interests: metabolomics; bioenergetics; cell biology; metabolism

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Aquaculture is currently acclaimed as one of the fastest-growing food systems for ensuring food security and employment for millions of people. During the last few decades, this industry has greatly expanded in both production and economic value. To advance and support sustainability and profitability, advancing technologies and their application in biological science is necessary. Metabolomics, the youngest omics technology, is the systemic study of the metabolome, which constitutes all the small molecules in a biological sample, thus providing a snapshot of utilised biochemical processes as an effect of the environment. Metabolomics can qualitatively and quantitatively reflect the influence of internal and external factors on an organism’s metabolism. Increasingly being applied in aquaculture, metabolomics provides opportunities to assess several factors or key issues along the aquaculture value chain, such as ecotoxicology, nutrition, thermal tolerance, postharvest quality, health and disease, husbandry practices, environmental monitoring, and more.

For this Special Issue, you are invited to submit either original research manuscripts or reviews focusing on your unique aquaculture species, i.e., finfish, bivalves, crustaceans, seaweeds, etc., and your preferred metabolomics method (nuclear magnetic resonance or mass spectrometry). Research focusing on freshwater and marine aquaculture and wild harvest fisheries are welcomed. We encourage authors to engage with the Metabolomics Standards Initiative (MSI) and include standards in reports to maximise the utility of the data for other researchers. Come and showcase your applied research and contribute to the Special Issue “Application of Metabolomics Approaches and Reporting Standards in Aquaculture”.

Dr. Leonie Venter
Prof. Dr. Zander Lindeque
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Metabolites is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • aquaculture
  • innovation
  • freshwater
  • marine
  • mass spectrometry
  • metabolomics
  • NMR
  • sustainability

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

39 pages, 4153 KiB  
Article
Metabolic Regulation of Copper Toxicity during Marine Mussel Embryogenesis
by Tim Young, Samantha L. Gale, Norman L. C. Ragg, Sylvia G. Sander, David J. Burritt, Billy Benedict, Dung V. Le, Silas G. Villas-Bôas and Andrea C. Alfaro
Metabolites 2023, 13(7), 838; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo13070838 - 11 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1732
Abstract
The development of new tools for assessing the health of cultured shellfish larvae is crucial for aquaculture industries to develop and refine hatchery methodologies. We established a large-volume ecotoxicology/health stressor trial, exposing mussel (Perna canaliculus) embryos to copper in the presence [...] Read more.
The development of new tools for assessing the health of cultured shellfish larvae is crucial for aquaculture industries to develop and refine hatchery methodologies. We established a large-volume ecotoxicology/health stressor trial, exposing mussel (Perna canaliculus) embryos to copper in the presence of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). GC/MS-based metabolomics was applied to identify potential biomarkers for monitoring embryonic/larval health and to characterise mechanisms of metal toxicity. Cellular viability, developmental abnormalities, larval behaviour, mortality, and a targeted analysis of proteins involved in the regulation of reactive oxygen species were simultaneously evaluated to provide a complementary framework for interpretative purposes and authenticate the metabolomics data. Trace metal analysis and speciation modelling verified EDTA as an effective copper chelator. Toxicity thresholds for P. canaliculus were low, with 10% developmental abnormalities in D-stage larvae being recorded upon exposure to 1.10 μg·L−1 bioavailable copper for 66 h. Sublethal levels of bioavailable copper (0.04 and 1.10 μg·L−1) caused coordinated fluctuations in metabolite profiles, which were dependent on development stage, treatment level, and exposure duration. Larvae appeared to successfully employ various mechanisms involving the biosynthesis of antioxidants and a restructuring of energy-related metabolism to alleviate the toxic effects of copper on cells and developing tissues. These results suggest that regulation of trace metal-induced toxicity is tightly linked with metabolism during the early ontogenic development of marine mussels. Lethal-level bioavailable copper (50.3 μg·L−1) caused severe metabolic dysregulation after 3 h of exposure, which worsened with time, substantially delayed embryonic development, induced critical oxidative damage, initiated the apoptotic pathway, and resulted in cell/organism death shortly after 18 h of exposure. Metabolite profiling is a useful approach to (1) assess the health status of marine invertebrate embryos and larvae, (2) detect early warning biomarkers for trace metal contamination, and (3) identify novel regulatory mechanisms of copper-induced toxicity. Full article
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19 pages, 8430 KiB  
Article
Metabolite Changes of Perna canaliculus Following a Laboratory Marine Heatwave Exposure: Insights from Metabolomic Analyses
by Awanis Azizan, Leonie Venter, Peet J. Jansen van Rensburg, Jessica A. Ericson, Norman L. C. Ragg and Andrea C. Alfaro
Metabolites 2023, 13(7), 815; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo13070815 - 03 Jul 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1566
Abstract
Temperature is considered to be a major abiotic factor influencing aquatic life. Marine heatwaves are emerging as threats to sustainable shellfish aquaculture, affecting the farming of New Zealand’s green-lipped mussel [Perna canaliculus (Gmelin, 1791)]. In this study, P. canaliculus were gradually exposed [...] Read more.
Temperature is considered to be a major abiotic factor influencing aquatic life. Marine heatwaves are emerging as threats to sustainable shellfish aquaculture, affecting the farming of New Zealand’s green-lipped mussel [Perna canaliculus (Gmelin, 1791)]. In this study, P. canaliculus were gradually exposed to high-temperature stress, mimicking a five-day marine heatwave event, to better understand the effects of heat stress on the metabolome of mussels. Following liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analyses of haemolymph samples, key sugar-based metabolites supported energy production via the glycolysis pathway and TCA cycle by 24 h and 48 h of heat stress. Anaerobic metabolism also fulfilled the role of energy production. Antioxidant molecules acted within thermally stressed mussels to mitigate oxidative stress. Purine metabolism supported tissue protection and energy replenishment. Pyrimidine metabolism supported the protection of nucleic acids and protein synthesis. Amino acids ensured balanced intracellular osmolality at 24 h and ammonia detoxification at 48 h. Altogether, this work provides evidence that P. canaliculus has the potential to adapt to heat stress up to 24 °C by regulating its energy metabolism, balancing nucleotide production, and implementing oxidative stress mechanisms over time. The data reported herein can also be used to evaluate the risks of heatwaves and improve mitigation strategies for aquaculture. Full article
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15 pages, 778 KiB  
Article
1H-NMR-Based Metabolic Profiling in Muscle and Liver Tissue of Juvenile Turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) Fed with Plant and Animal Protein Sources
by Christina Hoerterer, Jessica Petereit, Gisela Lannig, Christian Bock and Bela H. Buck
Metabolites 2023, 13(5), 612; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo13050612 - 28 Apr 2023
Viewed by 1190
Abstract
Circular economy driven feed ingredients and emerging protein sources, such as insects and microbial meals, has the potential to partially replace fishmeal in diets of high-trophic fish. Even though growth and feed performance are often unaffected at low inclusion levels, the metabolic effects [...] Read more.
Circular economy driven feed ingredients and emerging protein sources, such as insects and microbial meals, has the potential to partially replace fishmeal in diets of high-trophic fish. Even though growth and feed performance are often unaffected at low inclusion levels, the metabolic effects are unknown. This study examined the metabolic response of juvenile turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) to diets with graded fishmeal replacement with plant, animal, and emerging protein sources (PLANT, PAP, and MIX) in comparison to a commercial-like diet (CTRL). A 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was used to assess the metabolic profiles of muscle and liver tissue after feeding the fish the experimental diets for 16 weeks. The comparative approach revealed a decrease in metabolites that are associated with energy deficiency in both tissues of fish fed with fishmeal-reduced diets compared to the commercial-like diet (CTRL). Since growth and feeding performance were unaffected, the observed metabolic response suggests that the balanced feed formulations, especially at lower fishmeal replacement levels, have the potential for industry application. Full article
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