Expression profiles of catalase gene in common carp exposed to ammonia

Abstract

Ammonia is one of the most harmful water quality parameters restricting the growth and survival of aquatic living organisms. As a result, fish must adapt to this stressor by modifying physiological processes that are governed by gene expression regulation. The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression profiles of antioxidant related gene, catalase (CAT) in common carp (Cyprinus carpio) fingerlings after exposure to 0.7 mg/l of unionized ammonia (UIA) in water. The relative gene expression was measured in liver, gills, and brain tissues at four time points (12 h, 2 d, 4 d, and 7 d post exposure). The expression level of CAT gene in the liver and brain peaked after 7 d of ammonia exposure by 13.3 and 5.2-folds, respectively, but in gills it upregulated only after 2 d (2.7-folds) and downregulated at the other time points. This study proved that exposure to ammonia affects the antioxidant status of common carp as indicated by the altered levels of expression of CAT gene.

Keywords

• common carp
• ammonia
• gene expression
• antioxidant-related genes
• cat