Biology subjects

Cardona, E.

Publications and source records attributed to Cardona, E..

8 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Circulating microRNAs reveal egg-brain crosstalk and a brain-specific microRNA linked to the onset of the next reproductive cycle in iteroparous salmonids

Mechanisms regulating the transition between two consecutive reproductive cycles are complex and remain poorly understood, mostly because they involve a dialog between the ovary and the central nervous system that is difficult to disentangle. In rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), an iteroparous species spawning every year, removal of the eggs from the body cavity was used as a switch to trigger the onset of the next reproductive cycle. Changes in circulating miRNAs (c-miRNAs) levels in blood plasma and ovarian fluid were then monitored over time. Upon removal of the eggs from the body cavity we observed the dramatic down regulation of the blood plasma levels of a single c-miRNA (miR-139-5p) that is predominantly expressed in the brain. In contrast, very distinct c-miRNAs profiles were observed in blood plasma when eggs are retained in the body cavity. Among plasma c-miRNAs showing dynamic changes with egg retention, miR-135c is strongly expressed in the brain and pituitary, while miR-457a is predominant in the postovulatory ovary. In addition, egg retention in the body cavity triggers a dramatic drop in ovarian fluid levels of miR-202-5p, a miRNA known to regulate egg production in fish. Our observations reveal that the transition between two successive reproductive cycles involves a crosstalk between the eggs and the central system and that a single miRNA, miR-139, predominantly expressed in the brain, is associated with the onset of the next reproductive cycle. We identified possible miR-139-5p functional targets in rainbow trout and other iteroparous species that have been lost in semelparous salmonids. Our results offer new research perspectives to better understand the mechanisms triggering the next reproductive cycle in iteroparous fish species, including post-transcriptional regulations by miR-139 in the brain.

physiology↗

bioRxiv2025

Climate-driven specialisation in plant-pollinator networks peaks outside the tropics

Pollination is a key ecological process sustaining biodiversity and food security, yet global patterns of plant-pollinator specialisation have remained unresolved. Using the largest global dataset of quantitative networks (>3,400 networks, >110,000 interactions), we show that the latitudinal specialisation gradient (LSG) exists, but it is non-linear, hemispherically asymmetric, and strongly taxon-dependent. Network-level and pollinator specialisation were lowest in the tropics and peaked at northern mid-latitudes, whereas plants tended to become more specialised toward higher latitudes. Climate consistently outperformed latitude, species richness, and environmental productivity as a predictor of these patterns. Specialisation declined with increasing temperature, rose with moderate rainfall before declining at the wettest sites, and increased with temperature seasonality, but plants and pollinators responded differently to these drivers. Functional groups diverged strongly: ectothermic insects were most specialised in cooler, seasonal climates, while birds showed weaker links to latitude but reduced specialisation in wetter regions. These findings demonstrate that climate, rather than latitude or species richness, structures global variation in specialisation. Because warmer and less seasonal climates promote generalisation, climate change is likely to disrupt the most specialised pollination systems, unevenly across taxa and regions, with important consequences for biodiversity and ecosystem stability.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2024

Dissecting the nutritional regulations of a whole amino acid transporter family from a complex genome species: A holistic approach turning weaknesses into strengths

Amino acid transporters (AATs) are described as pivotal in maintaining circulating and cellular concentrations of AA via regulation of their expression in response to the cellular environment. Rainbow trout (RT), a complex genome species, is poorly described for AATs roles in controlling its predominant AA-based metabolism, despite representing a major challenge in the aquaculture nutrition field. Therefore, we identified the whole repertoire of AAT found in RT genome (>200), its expression in tissues and its nutritional regulations in vitro. Results garnered revealed the existence of different clusters of AATs, notably due to promoters bearing ATF4-related AA response elements. Moreover, the modeling of each AAT-specific cluster activities disclosed mTOR-related signaling functions of Ile and Phe, yet unknown in RT. Thus, this novel approach herein described should help to better grasp AA homeostasis in most organisms and topics such as fish nutrition and evolution.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2024

Chaperone-Mediated Autophagy in Fish: A Key Function Amid a Changing Environment

Chaperone-Mediated Autophagy (CMA) is a major pathway of lysosomal proteolysis critical for cellular homeostasis and metabolism. While extensively studied in mammals, CMAs existence in fish has only been confirmed recently, offering exciting insights into its role in species facing environmental stress. Here, we shed light on the existence of 2 genes encoding the CMA-limiting factor Lamp2A (lysosomal associated membrane protein 2A) in rainbow trout (RT, Oncorhynchus mykiss), revealing distinct expression patterns across various tissues. Notably, RT lacking the most expressed Lamp2A exhibit profound hepatic proteome disturbances during acute nutritional stress, underscoring its pivotal role as a guardian of hepatic proteostasis. Building upon these findings, we introduce and validate the CMA activation score as a reliable indicator of CMA status, providing a valuable tool for detecting cellular stress in fish under environmental threats. Overall, our study offers new perspectives into understanding CMA from evolutionary and environmental contexts. O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=70 SRC="FIGDIR/small/585855v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (10K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@de3c56org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@4b711forg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@efb4a1org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@13be9cc_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2021

Effect of a low water salinity on oocyte maturation, oocyte hydration, ovulation and egg quality in rainbow trout.

Water salinity is an important environmental factor known to have detrimental effects on salmonid reproduction, mostly when migrating female broodfish are held in sea water. In contrast, data obtained in freshwater are scarce and the impact of low water salinity, and more specifically of low water concentrations in sodium, chloride and potassium, during reproduction in freshwater is currently unknown. For this reason, and because ion and water fluxes are critical for the final steps of the female gamete formation, including oocyte hydration and ovulation, the aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of low salinity water on final oocyte maturation, ovulation and, ultimately, on egg quality, using rainbow trout as a physiological model and relevant aquaculture species. Fish from the same commercial strain were raised either in a site characterized by low concentrations of Na+, K+, and Cl- ions in the water or in a closely located control site exhibiting higher concentration in these elements. Egg quality and duration of final oocyte maturation were investigated using innovative phenotyping tools such as automatic assessment of egg viability using the VisEgg system and non-invasive echograph-based monitoring of final oocyte maturation duration, respectively. Oocyte hydration during final oocyte maturation and after ovulation was also investigated. Finally, molecular phenotyping was performed using real-time PCR-based monitoring of several key players of final oocyte maturation and ovulation associated with ion and water transport, inflammation, proteolytic activity, and coagulation. Oocyte hydration and gene expression data were analyzed in the light of the duration of final oocyte maturation. Here we show that low water salinity (i.e., low water concentration in chloride, sodium and potassium) negatively influences final oocyte maturation, ovulation and, ultimately, egg quality. Low water salinity triggered delayed ovulation and lower oocyte viability. When investigating the impact of low water salinity on final oocyte maturation duration, individuals presenting the most severe phenotypes exhibited impaired oocyte hydration and abnormally reduced gene expression levels of several key players of the ovulatory process. While the under expression of water (i.e., aquaporins) and ion (i.e., solute carriers) transporters is consistent with impaired oocyte hydration, our observations also indicate that the overall ovulatory gene expression program is disrupted. Our results raise the question of the mechanisms underlying the negative influence of low salinity water on the dynamics of the preovulatory phase, on the control of the oocyte homeostasis, including hydration, and on the overall success of the maturation-ovulation process. HighlightsO_LILow water salinity impairs final oocyte maturation and egg quality in rainbow trout C_LIO_LILow water salinity induces delayed ovulation and impaired oocyte hydration C_LIO_LILow water salinity induces a dysregulation of several key ovulatory genes C_LIO_LIMonitoring of final oocyte maturation can be performed using ultrasound staging C_LI

physiology↗

bioRxiv2021

Circulating miRNA diversity, origin and response to changing metabolic and reproductive states, new insights from the rainbow trout

Circulating miRNAs (c-miRNAs) are found in most, if not all, biological fluids and are becoming well established biomarkers of many human pathologies. The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential of c-miRNAs as biomarkers of reproductive and metabolic states in fish, a question that has received little attention. Plasma was collected throughout the reproductive cycle from rainbow trout females subjected to two different feeding levels to trigger contrasting metabolic states; ovarian fluid was sample at ovulation. Fluid samples were subjected to small RNA-seq analysis followed by quantitative PCR validation for a subset of promising c-miRNA biomarkers. A comprehensive miRNA repertoire, which was lacking in trout, was first established to allow subsequent analysis. We first showed that biological fluids miRNAomes are complex and encompass a high proportion of the overall species miRNAome. While sharing a high proportion of common miRNAs, plasma and ovarian fluid miRNAomes exhibited strong fluid-specific signatures. We further showed that the plasma miRNAome exhibited major significant changes depending on metabolic and reproductive state. We subsequently identified three (miR-1-1/2-3p, miR-133-a-1/2-3p and miR-206-3p) evolutionarily conserved muscle-specific miRNA that accumulate in the plasma in response to high feeding rates, making these myomiRs strong candidate biomarkers of active myogenesis. We also identified miR-202-5p as a candidate biomarker for reproductive success that could be used to predict ovulation and/or egg quality. These highly promising results reveal the high potential of c-miRNAs as physiologically relevant biomarkers and pave the way for the use of c-miRNAs for non-invasive phenotyping in various fish species.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2020

VisEgg: A robust phenotyping tool to assess rainbow trout egg features and viability

Assessing female fish reproductive success requires a thorough evaluation of egg characteristics, including egg number, size and variability as well as egg developmental potential through the monitoring of embryo survival after fertilization. While embryonic success relies, at least in part, on paternal contribution, some parameters are strictly related to egg characteristics, one of the main ones being the viability of the egg when released into the water at spawning. It is however not necessarily possible, at least in salmonid fish that lay non-transparent eggs, to separate the different causes of egg/embryo failure. In this context, our aim was i) to develop a simple and rapid system to capture images of rainbow trout eggs combined with computerized processing of these images to perform a fully automatic individual characterization of egg features including number and size ii) to estimate unfertilized egg viability through the monitoring of the percentage of eggs that will not survive to water hydration. To evaluate the VisEgg system, unfertilized eggs (approximatively 400 eggs per batch) originating from 105 different females were hydrated in water. After 24h, a picture of the eggs was obtained using a dedicated shooting system consisting of a light source and a digital single-lens reflex (SLR) camera. An image processing algorithm was developed to allow the automatic detection and separation of the eggs and to perform automatic measurements of egg number and individual egg size. The presence of white egg was used as an indirect measure of egg integrity, the "whitening" being the result of water entry into the egg through the vitelline membrane. These white eggs were therefore considered as non-viable, as a result of their lack of physical integrity. Fertilization assays were performed in parallel using a subsample of the same egg batch. Embryonic development was monitored and hatching rate was calculated. A significant correlation between white egg percentage after hydration and hatching rate was observed (Spearman coefficient =-0.557, p<0.001), in consistency with the fact that non-viable egg will not allow successful embryonic development. In contrast, the percentage of eggs that do not successfully hatched includes egg/embryo failures of different nature including egg viability, their capacity to be fertilized and to develop into an embryo. Using VisEgg, we were able to quantify the lack of viability of the eggs separately from the different other events that may occur during fertilization and incubation. VisEgg is a convenient and reliable tool to obtain individuals measures on trout eggs. It can be used to assess not only egg size and egg number but also unfertilized egg viability before fertilization.

developmental biology↗

bioRxiv2020

C-Eci: A Cubic-Eci Combined Clearing Method For 3D Follicular Content Analysis In The Fish Ovary

Deciphering mechanisms of oocyte development in female fishes still remains challenging and a comprehensive overview of this process at the level of the organ is still needed. The recent development optical tissue clearing methods have tremendously boosted the 3D imaging of large size biological samples that are naturally opaque. However, no attempt of clearing on fish ovary that accumulates extremely high concentration of lipids within oocytes has been reported to date. To face with this ovarian-specific challenge, we combined two existing clearing methods, the non-toxic solvent-based Eci method for efficient clearing and the CUBIC method to enhance lipid removal and reduce non-specific staining. The methyl green fluorescent dye was used to stain nuclei and delineate follicles. Using this procedure (named C-Eci), ovaries of both medaka and trout could be imaged in 3D and all follicles analyzed. To our knowledge this is the first procedure elaborated for clearing and imaging fish ovary in 3D. The C-Eci methods thus provides an interesting tool for getting precise quantitative data on follicular content in fish ovary and promises to be useful for further morphological studies. SummaryA modified ethyl-cinnamate-based clearing method allows solving fish ovary-specific challenges for 3D imaging, including high lipid-contents, and analyzing the ovarian follicular content in medaka and trout.

developmental biology↗