Sexual dimorphism in hepatic gene expression and the response to dietary carbohydrate manipulation in the zebrafish (Danio rerio).

In this study, we tested for the presence of sexual dimorphism in the hepatic transcriptome of the adult zebrafish and examined the effect of long term manipulation of dietary carbohydrate on gene expression in both sexes. Zebrafish were fed diets comprised of 0%, 15%, 25%, or 35% carbohydrate from the larval stage through sexual maturity, then sampled for hepatic tissue, growth, proximate body composition, and retention efficiencies. Using Affymetrix microarrays and qRT-PCR, we observed substantial sexual dimorphism in the hepatic transcriptome. Males up-regulated genes associated with oxidative metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, energy production, and amelioration of oxidative stress, while females had higher expression levels of genes associated with translation. Restriction of dietary carbohydrate (0% diet) significantly affected hepatic gene expression, growth performance, retention efficiencies of protein and energy, and percentages of moisture, lipid, and ash. The response of some genes to dietary manipulation varied by sex; with increased dietary carbohydrate, males up-regulated genes associated with oxidative metabolism (e.g. hadhbeta) while females up-regulated genes associated with glucose phosphorylation (e.g. glucokinase). Our data support the use of the zebrafish model for the study of fish nutritional genomics, but highlight the importance of accounting for sexual dimorphism in these studies.