Ontogenetic expression of metabolic genes and microRNAs in rainbow trout alevins during the transition from the endogenous to the exogenous feeding period.

As oviparous fish, rainbow trout change their nutritional strategy during ontogenesis. This change is divided into the exclusive utilization of yolk-sac reserves (endogenous feeding), the concurrent utilization of yolk reserves and exogenous feeds (mixed feeding) and the complete dependence on external feeds (exogenous feeding). The change in food source is accompanied by well-characterized morphological changes, including the development of adipose tissue as an energy storage site, and continuous muscle development to improve foraging. The aim of this study was to investigate underlying molecular mechanisms that contribute to these ontogenetic changes between the nutritional phenotypes in rainbow trout alevins. We therefore analyzed the expression of marker genes of metabolic pathways and microRNAs (miRNAs) important in the differentiation and/or maintenance of metabolic tissues. In exogenously feeding alevins, the last enzyme involved in glucose production (g6pca and g6pcb) and lipolytic gene expression (cpt1a and cpt1b) decreased, while that of gk, involved in hepatic glucose use, was induced. This pattern is consistent with a progressive switch from the utilization of stored (gluconeogenic) amino acids and lipids in endogenously feeding alevins to a utilization of exogenous feeds via the glycolytic pathway. A shift towards the utilization of external feeds is further evidenced by the increased expression of omy-miRNA-143, a homologue of the mammalian marker of adipogenesis. The expression of its predicted target gene abhd5, a factor in triglyceride hydrolysis, decreased concurrently, suggesting a potential mechanism in the onset of lipid deposition. Muscle-specific omy-miRNA-1/133 and myod1 expression decreased in exogenously feeding alevins, a molecular signature consistent with muscle hypertrophy, which may be linked to nutritional cues or increased foraging.