Molecular ontogeny of digestive enzymes in Persian sturgeon (Acipenser persicus)

Abstract

The Persian sturgeon (Acipenser persicus) is a species of primary commercial interest which inhabits the Caspian and Black seas. This species is overfished mainly because of the high value of its roe and, in consequence, is listed as a critically endangered species. Sea ranching and production in hatchery is envisioned as a way to solve the problem. It is therefore necessary to advance the knowledge of the biology of larvae and juveniles to improve the rearing techniques. During the early development of the digestive system, digestive capacity is provided by the pancreatic enzymes (proteases, lipases and glucosidases) in conjunction with alkaline proteolytic enzymes secreted by the intestine, prior to acid digestion. While the pattern of digestive activities during the ontogeny has been profusely studied in many species, the expression patterns of the mRNA transcripts encoding the digestive enzyme precursors are comparatively scarce (Rønnestad et al., 2013). In this study, cDNAs coding for trypsinogen (try), two isoforms of pepsinogen (pga), proton pump (atp4a), bile salt activated lipase (cel) and β-actin (actb) from Persian sturgeon were partially cloned and their gene expression were analyzed using real time PCR from hatching to 34 days post hatch (dph).