2. Academic Validation
  3. Exogenous alpha-linolenic acid and Vibrio parahaemolyticus induce EPA and DHA levels mediated by delta-6 desaturase to enhance shrimp immunity

Exogenous alpha-linolenic acid and Vibrio parahaemolyticus induce EPA and DHA levels mediated by delta-6 desaturase to enhance shrimp immunity

  • Int J Biol Macromol. 2023 Dec 4:128583. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.128583.
Zeyan Chen 1,  Yonghui Kong 1,  Zishu Huang 1,  Xiaoyu Zheng 1,  Zhihong Zheng 1,  Defu Yao 1,  Shen Yang 2,  Yueling Zhang 3,  Jude Juventus Aweya 4
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology, Institute of Marine Sciences, Shantou University, Shantou 515063, China.
  • 2 Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Food Microbiology and Enzyme Engineering, College of Ocean Food and Biological Engineering, Jimei University, Xiamen 361021, China.
  • 3 Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology, Institute of Marine Sciences, Shantou University, Shantou 515063, China. Electronic address: zhangyl@stu.edu.cn.
  • 4 Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Food Microbiology and Enzyme Engineering, College of Ocean Food and Biological Engineering, Jimei University, Xiamen 361021, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology, Institute of Marine Sciences, Shantou University, Shantou 515063, China. Electronic address: jjaweya@jmu.edu.cn.
PMID: 38056755 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.128583
Abstract

Globally, penaeid shrimp are the most farmed and traded aquatic organisms, although they are easily susceptible to microbial pathogens. Moreover, there is a desire to increase the nutritional value of shrimp, especially the levels of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which also possess immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties. Some aquatic Animals can synthesize EPA and DHA from dietary plant-sourced alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), but penaeid shrimps' ability to synthesize these n-3 PUFAs is unknown. Here, Molecular Biology techniques, including gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, qPCR, ELISA, etc., were used to demonstrate that exogenous ALA or Vibrio parahaemolyticus could modulate EPA and DHA levels and immune genes in Penaeus vannamei by inducing key Enzymes involved in n-3 PUFAs biosynthesis, such as delta desaturases and elongation of very long-chain fatty acid (ELOVLs). Most importantly, knockdown or inhibition of ∆6 desaturase significantly decreased EPA and DHA levels and immune gene expression even with exogenous ALA treatment, consequently affecting shrimp Antibacterial immunity and survival. This study provides new insight into the potential of P. vannamei to synthesize n-3 PUFAs from exogenous ALA or upon bacteria challenge, which could be leveraged to increase their nutritional content and antimicrobial immunity.

Keywords

Alpha-linolenic acid; Antimicrobial immunity; Immunomodulatory; N-3 PUFAs; Nutritional value; Penaeus vannamei.

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