%0 Journal Article
%T Differential Expression of Myogenic Regulatory Factor Genes in the Skeletal Muscles of Tambaqui Colossoma macropomum (Cuvier 1818) from Amazonian Black and Clear Water
%A F. A. Alves-Costa
%A C. M. Barbosa
%A R. C. M. Aguiar
%A E. A. Mareco
%A M. Dal-Pai-Silva
%J International Journal of Genomics
%D 2013
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2013/465727
%X Hypothesizing that the Amazonian water system differences would affect the expression of muscle growth-related genes in juvenile tambaqui Colossoma macropomum (Cuvier 1818), this study aimed to analyze the morphometric data and expression of myogenic regulatory factors (MRFs) in the white and red muscle from tambaqui obtained from clear and black Amazonian water systems. All of the MRF transcript levels (myod, myf5, myogenin, and mrf4) were significantly lower in the red muscle from black water fish in comparison to clear water fish. However, in white muscle, only the myod transcript level was significantly decreased in the black water tambaqui. The changes in MRFs gene expression in muscle fibers of tambaqui from black water system provide relevant information about the environmental influence as that of water systems on gene expression of muscle growth related genes in the C. macropomum. Our results showed that the physical and chemical water characteristics change the expression of genes that promote muscle growth, and these results may be also widely applicable to future projects that aim to enhance muscle growth in fish that are of substantial interest to the aquaculture. 1. Introduction The Amazon basin is considered the largest drainage system in the world, consisting of thirteen principal rivers, of which it is possible to highlight the Amazon, Negro, Solim£¿es, and Tapaj¨®s rivers, and many different environments and different water types may be observed throughout this region [1, 2]. Amazonian water system may be classified, according to its physical and chemical characteristics, as being either white water, which originates in the Andes (Amazon and Solim£¿es Rivers), clear water, which originates from ancient land of massive central of Brazil and Guyana (Tapaj¨®s river), or black water, which originates in sandy sediments of Tertiary of Central Amazon (Negro River) [3, 4]. Amazonian white water has a high mineral concentration, a neutral pH (6.5 to 7.0), and a high conductivity. The clear water type has a variable pH (4.5 to 7.0) and a relatively low conductivity. And the black water type has an acid pH (3.0 to 5.0) and contains a high concentration of humic acid, which accounts for its dark color. Black water also has a low concentration of minerals and a marked absence of calcium and magnesium ions [4] and has been characterized as having a dearth of nutrients, low penetration of sunlight, lack of aquatic plants [5, 6], and prevalence of fish species that are small in size, which means a miniaturization process of different fish species found
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijg/2013/465727/