The effect of environmental salinity on the proteome of the sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax L.)

The European sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax L., tolerates a range of salinities from freshwater to hyper-saline. To study differences in protein expression, fish were reared in both freshwater and seawater. After 3-month acclimation, gill and intestine epithelia were collected and the soluble protein extracted. In all, 362 spots were differentially expressed in the gills and intestines of fishes reared in seawater compared to those from freshwater. Fifty differential protein spots were excised from a colloidal Coomassie-stained gel. Nine separate protein spots were identified unambiguously by mass spectrometry and database searching. Among the six proteins over-expressed in gill cells in seawater, five were cytoskeleton proteins and one was the aromatase cytochrome P450. In gill cells under freshwater conditions, the two over-expressed proteins identified were the prolactin receptor and the major histocompatibility complex class II beta-antigen. In intestinal cells under freshwater conditions, the Iroquois homeobox protein Ziro5 was upregulated over ninefold. The expression of these proteins, their possible direct or indirect roles in the adaptation of D. labrax to salinity, and their correspondences with a previous study are discussed.