Acta Agriculturae Zhejiangensis ›› 2022, Vol. 34 ›› Issue (10): 2172-2181.DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1004-1524.2022.10.11

• Animal Science • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Effects of feeding with maggot protein added dietaries on immune and metabolic responses in liver and serum of soft-shelled turtles Pelodiscus sinensis

LIANG Qianrong(), ZHENG Tianlun, CHEN Xiaoming, ZHU Ningyu, ZHENG Xiaoye, HE Runzhen, CAO Feifei, XUE Huili, DING Xueyan()   

  1. Zhejiang Aquatic Disease Prevention and Quarantine Center, Zhejiang Fisheries Technical Extension Center, Hangzhou 310023, China
  • Received:2022-02-06 Online:2022-10-25 Published:2022-10-26
  • Contact: DING Xueyan

Abstract:

To assess the potential immune enhancement effects of maggot protein as fodder additive on Chinese soft-shelled turtles (Pelodiscus sinensis), in this study, two feed groups of turtles were set with maggot protein/fodder mass ratio of 5% (G2) and 10% (G3) respectively, and normal fodder feed group was taken as control (G1). Turtles were fed for three months before sample collection. Ratios of survival turtles and body weight gain as well as activities of alkline phosphatase (AKP), acid phosphatase (ACP), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathion peroxidase (GPX), catalase (CAT) and lysozyme (LZM) were determined, and gene expression profiles of the turtles in different feed groups were obtained and compared using transcriptome analysis. The results showed that survival ratios and average body weight gain ratios of the maggot protein added feed groups were higher than those in control group. And except for glutathione peroxidase, activities of the rest five non-specific serum immune enzymes increased in maggot protein added feed groups. Comparative analysis of transcriptome sequencing showed that there were significant differentially expressed genes between experimental groups and control group. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed that the differentially expressed genes were mainly enriched in two immune-related pathways: phagosome, complement and coagulation cascades. In addition, differentially expressed genes between 10% maggot protein added group and the other two groups were also enriched in several immune and metabolic regulation pathways, including cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism and vitamin digestion and absorption, etc. In conclusion, feeding with maggot protein added dietary could enhance the immune and metabolic activities of the soft-shelled turtles, and 10% was the optimum additive proportion in our study. Its potential mechanism might be closely related to the phagosome, complement and coagulation cascades, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism and vitamin digestion and absorption pathways. Our study might provide important information for the effective evaluations of maggot protein as fodder additive of Pelodiscus sinensis.

Key words: Pelodiscus sinensis, maggot protein, immune and metabolic regulations, transcriptome sequencing

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