Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Dec 30;11(1):61.
doi: 10.3390/ani11010061.

Molecular Mechanisms Regulating Muscle Plasticity in Fish

Prasanthi Koganti  1 , Jianbo Yao  1 , Beth M Cleveland  2
Affiliations
Review

Molecular Mechanisms Regulating Muscle Plasticity in Fish

Prasanthi Koganti et al. Animals (Basel). .

Abstract

Growth rates in fish are largely dependent on genetic and environmental factors, of which the latter can be highly variable throughout development. For this reason, muscle growth in fish is particularly dynamic as muscle structure and function can be altered by environmental conditions, a concept referred to as muscle plasticity. Myogenic regulatory factors (MRFs) like Myogenin, MyoD, and Pax7 control the myogenic mechanisms regulating quiescent muscle cell maintenance, proliferation, and differentiation, critical processes central for muscle plasticity. This review focuses on recent advancements in molecular mechanisms involving microRNAs (miRNAs) and DNA methylation that regulate the expression and activity of MRFs in fish. Findings provide overwhelming support that these mechanisms are significant regulators of muscle plasticity, particularly in response to environmental factors like temperature and nutritional challenges. Genetic variation in DNA methylation and miRNA expression also correlate with variation in body weight and growth, suggesting that genetic markers related to these mechanisms may be useful for genomic selection strategies. Collectively, this knowledge improves the understanding of mechanisms regulating muscle plasticity and can contribute to the development of husbandry and breeding strategies that improve growth performance and the ability of the fish to respond to environmental challenges.

Keywords: DNA methylation; epigenetics; fish; growth; miRNA; muscle; plasticity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. AlamiDurante H., Fauconneau B., Rouel M., Escaffre A.M., Bergot P. Growth and multiplication of white skeletal muscle fibres in carp larvae in relation to somatic growth rate. J. Fish Biol. 1997;50:1285–1302. doi: 10.1111/j.1095-8649.1997.tb01653.x. - DOI
    1. Higgins P.J. Metabolic differences between Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) parr and smolts. Aquaculture. 1985;45:33–53. doi: 10.1016/0044-8486(85)90256-X. - DOI
    1. Koumans J.T.M., Akster H.A., Booms G.H.R., Osse J.W.M. Growth of Carp (Cyprinus-Carpio) White Axial Muscle—Hyperplasia and Hypertrophy in Relation to the Myonucleus Sarcoplasm Ratio and the Occurrence of Different Subclasses of Myogenic Cells. J. Fish Biol. 1993;43:69–80. doi: 10.1111/j.1095-8649.1993.tb00411.x. - DOI
    1. Mommsen T.P. Paradigms of growth in fish. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. B Biochem. Mol. Biol. 2001;129:207–219. doi: 10.1016/S1096-4959(01)00312-8. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Patruno M., Radaelli G., Mascarello F., Carnevali M.C. Muscle growth in response to changing demands of functions in the teleost Sparus aurata (L.) during development from hatching to juvenile. Anat. Embryol. 1998;198:487–504. doi: 10.1007/s004290050199. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources