Protein metabolism (University of Aberdeen)

Salmon require a high protein diet, in addition this diet must meet the essential amino acid requirements of salmon. Fish meal, from which fish food protein is derived is caught from wild fisheries and may become limiting in the future. An understanding of protein metabolism in aquacultured fish will help identify genes which may lead to more efficient utilisation of dietary protein. In addition, studies into alternative protein sources from plants are being performed.
In fish protein growth is a balance between protein synthesis and protein degradation. Protein growth is negatively correlated with rates of protein degradation when variation in food consumption is allowed for, thus we may conclude protein turnover may hold the key for growth efficiency in salmon. cDNA clones will be identified that are differentially regulated in salmon as result of alternation in protein metabolism. For this part of the project both liver and muscle tissue will be studied. cDNA clones generated will be added to the salmon microarray. Experiments will be performed to study the gene expression responses in fish under different nutritional challenges. This work complements our on going PROTEOME studies in salmonid fish, where liver protein profiles are studied in relation to environmental changes such as food withdrawl and dietary manipulations

Partners: University of Stirling, University of Aberdeen, Cardiff University

Site maintained by Sam Martin, University of Aberdeen