Seasonal and genetic effects on lipid profiles of juvenile Atlantic salmon
Seasonality can influence many physiological traits requiring optimal energetic capacity for life-history stage transitions. In Atlantic salmon, high-energy status is essential for the initiation of maturation. Atlantic salmon lipid reserves are predominantly found in the viscera and myosepta in the muscle while the liver is essential for maintaining lipid metabolism. A genomic study found a region including a transcription co-factor-coding gene, vgll3, linked to Atlantic salmon maturation timing, which acts as an inhibitor of adipogenesis in mice, and mediates maturation via condition factor in Atlantic salmon. Here we investigate the influence of season and vgll3 genotypes associating with early (EE) and late (LL) maturation on lipid profiles in the muscle and liver in juvenile Atlantic salmon. We reared Atlantic salmon for two years until the occurrence of sexually mature males and sampled muscle and liver at two time points: spring and autumn of the second year. We found no seasonal or genotype effect in lipid profiles in muscle of immature males and females. However, in the liver we did detect a triacylglycerol (TG) enrichment and a genotype specific direction of change in membrane lipids, phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), from spring to autumn. Specifically, from spring to autumn membrane lipid concentrations increased in vgll3*EE individuals and decreased in vgll3*LL individuals. This could be explained with two possible scenarios 1) a seasonally more stable capacity of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) functions in vgll3*EE individuals compared to vgll3*LL individuals or 2) vgll3*LL individuals storing larger lipid droplets from spring to autumn in the liver compared to vgll3*EE individuals at the expense of ER capacity. This genotype specific seasonal direction of change in membrane lipid concentrations provides more indirect evidence that a mechanism linking vgll3 with lipid metabolism and storage exists. HighlightsO_LISeasonal lipid species profile separation in muscle and liver in juvenile Atlantic salmon C_LIO_LIGenotype specific direction of change of membrane lipids from spring to autumn C_LIO_LIIndirect evidence that a mechanism linking vgll3 with lipid metabolism and storage exists C_LI