Analysis of the physiological responses of Pacific abalone (Haliotis discus hannai) to various stressors to identify a suitable stress indicator

Abstract

The Pacific abalone (Haliotis discus hannai) is the most economically valuable shellfish species in Northeast Asia, accounting for most of the shellfish production in South Korea. Despite the continuous improvement in the productivity of domestic abalone aquaculture, rapid seawater temperature changes caused by global warming have led to mass mortality in coastal abalone farms. Therefore, research on environmental stressors is urgently needed to prevent abalone production losses. This study analyzed the expression of heat shock protein (HSP) genes in foot muscles of H. discus hannai and metabolic parameters including glucose, lysozyme, catalase, D‐lactate, and trehalose levels in the hemolymph under acute high temperature, low temperature, low salinity, and air exposure. Quantitative reverse‐transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that HSP20 expression was downregulated in all experimental groups, whereas HSP70 expression increased immediately in all experimental groups except for the low‐temperature stress group. Hemolymph analysis showed that glucose and lysozyme levels increased significantly immediately after treatment in all groups, and decreased during the recovery period. Together, the results indicate that low water temperature stress had the smallest effect on abalone among the treatments. We conclude that the other treatments acted as stressors of abalone and that HSP genes, glucose, and lysozyme can be used as stress indicators in H. discus hannai.

Melatonin injection and red light irradiation affect the antioxidant response and cell damage in disk abalone (Haliotis discus hannai) exposed to high water temperatures

“…Abalones exposed to high‐temperature stress activate HSP mechanisms to prevent protein damage, assist in antioxidant responses, and prevent stress (Boopathy et al, 2022). Lee et al (2023) reported a significant increase in HSP70 mRNA expression in the muscle of disk abalones exposed to 28°C. In our study, HSP70 mRNA expression in the 28°C high‐temperature experiment was higher compared with that in the 20°C experiment, suggesting that abalones exposed to high‐temperature conditions activated the HSP70 mechanism as part of their internal stress mitigation strategy.…”

The Neuropeptide HGAP Regulates Growth, Reproduction, Metamorphosis, Tissue Damage Repair, and Response against Starvation in Pacific Abalone

“…In South Korea, abalone aquaculture production reached 23,199 tons in 2021, accounting for 30% of the country's shellfish production [21]. As abalone aquaculture relies entirely on hatchery-produced seed, understanding the reproductive behavior and regulation of abalone is crucial for successful seed production.…”