LC–qTOF-MS analysis of fish immune organs reveals the distribution of amino acids in response to metabolic adaptation of the survival phenotype in grouper against Vibrio infection

• Published in: 3 Biotech 2022-09, Vol.12 (9), p.206-206, Article 206
• Main Authors: Baharum, Syarul Nataqain, Mayalvanan, Yosmetha, Natnan, Maya Erna, Azizan, Kamalrul Azlan, Bunawan, Hamidun, Him, Nik Raikhan Nik, Low, Chen-Fei, Chong, Chou-Min
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adaptation; Agriculture; Alanine; Amino acids; Aquaculture; Aspartic acid; Bacteria; Bioinformatics; Biomaterials; Biotechnology; Cancer Research; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Experimental infection; Farms; Fish; Fish immunity; Genotype & phenotype; Gills; Glutamine; Gram-negative bacteria; Infections; Infectious diseases; Leucine; Liquid chromatography; Liver; Lysine; Mass spectrometry; Mass spectroscopy; Metabolism; Metabolites; Organs; Original; Original Article; Phenotypes; Phenylalanine; Quadrupoles; Solvent extraction; Spleen; Stem Cells; Survival; Tyrosine; Vibrio; Vibriosis
• ISSN: 2190-572X; 2190-5738
• DOI: 10.1007/s13205-022-03269-1

Epinephelus fuscoguttatus is economically crucial to various Southeast Asia countries where they are reared in fish farms to meet the demand for supply. However, a systemic infectious disease known as vibriosis has steadily and extensively affected the fish farming industry. The disease is caused by Vibrio spp., which are pathogenic gram-negative bacteria. This study focused on understanding the host’s metabolic adaptation against Vibrio vulnificus infection, which features a survival phenotype, by profiling the metabolites in grouper fingerlings that survived the experimental infection. Mapping of the pathways is crucial to explain the roles of metabolites in fish immunity. A solvent extraction method was used on the grouper’s immune organs (gills, liver and spleen) prior to Liquid Chromatography–Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (LC–qTOF-MS) analysis. The metabolites identified in fingerlings that survived experimental infections were mostly amino acids (primary metabolites). Glutamine (0.44%), alanine (0.68%), phenylalanine (2.63%) and tyrosine (2.60%) were highly abundant in survived-infected gills. Aspartic acid (13.57%) and leucine (4.01%) were highly abundant in the livers of the survived-infected fish and lysine was highly abundant in both gills (2.94%) and liver (3.64%) of the survived-infected fish. Subsequent bioinformatics analysis revealed the involvement of the identified functional amino acids in various immune-related pathways. The current findings facilitate the comprehension of the metabolic adaptation of grouper fingerlings that exhibited a survival phenotype against Vibrio infection.