Incidence and estimation of chitinase activity associated with marine fish and other estuarine samples

Goodrich, T. D.; Morita, Richard Y.

doi:10.1007/bf00389100

Cited by 32 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…A dietary effect on chitinase activity in fish digestive tracts is well known, however. Goodrich and Morita (1977a) found a relationship between diet and chitinase activity in Enophrys bison and Platyichthys stellatus (more chitin in the diet, higher chitinase activity). Danulat (1986) showed that Gadus morhua consuming crab and shrimp had higher chitinase activities in their guts than individuals of this same species consuming a fish diet.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…Because the Nocomis taxa have pharyngeal teeth with which to disrupt prey exoskeletons and because chitin is composed of a usable energy source for vertebrates (i.e., NAG; Gutowska et al 2004), chitin may represent an important additional source of nitrogen and energy to the Nocomis species. Moreover, these fishes may play a role in chitin degradation in North American freshwater ecosystems (Goodrich and Morita 1977b).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evolution of Herbivory in a Carnivorous Clade of Minnows (Teleostei: Cyprinidae): Effects on Gut Size and Digestive Physiology

German

Nagle²,

Villeda³

et al. 2010

Physiological and Biochemical Zoology

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We constructed a phylogeny for 10 minnow species (family Cyprinidae) previously revealed to be members of sister genera with different dietary affinities and used the phylogeny to examine whether the evolution of digestive tract size and physiology is correlated with the evolution of diet in these fishes. We studied a total of 11 taxa: four herbivorous species in the genus Campostoma and six largely carnivorous species in the genus Nocomis, including two populations of Nocomis leptocephalus, the carnivorous Chattahoochee River drainage population and the herbivorous Altamaha River drainage population. Thus, we were able to compare digestive tract size and physiology among sister genera (Campostoma and Nocomis) and among sister taxa (N. leptocephalus Chattahoochee and N. leptocephalus Altamaha) in dietary and phylogenetic contexts. The herbivorous taxa had longer digestive tracts and higher activity of the carbohydrases amylase and laminarinase in their guts, whereas the carnivorous species had higher chitinase activity. Phylogenetic independent-contrast analysis suggested that the evolution of amylase and chitinase activities was correlated with the evolution of diet in these species, whereas trypsin and lipase activities showed no pattern associated with diet or phylogenetic history. Concentrations of short-chain fatty acids were low in all taxa, indicating that these fishes rely largely on endogenous digestive mechanisms to subsist on their respective diets. Subtle differences in tooth shape were observed between species in the two genera. Overall, our results suggest that dietary specialization can be observed on the level of anatomy and physiology of the digestive tracts of fishes but that such differences are most appropriately viewed in comparisons of closely related species with different diets.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of Herbivory in a Carnivorous Clade of Minnows (Teleostei: Cyprinidae): Effects on Gut Size and Digestive Physiology

German

Nagle²,

Villeda³

et al. 2010

Physiological and Biochemical Zoology

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“…Micro-organism populations of the digestive tract of fish have been the subject of increasing interest in recent times. Consideration of populations of microorganisms in the digestive tract of fish is important, since they can contribute hydrolytic enzymes including cellulase (Stickney & Shumway, 1974;Prejs & Blaszczyk, 1977;Lindsay & Harris, 1980) and chitinase (Goodrich & Morita, 1977;Hamid et af., 1979) that may assist the fish to digest otherwise unavailable nutrients.…”

Section: T L Tmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechanisms of digestion in the marine herbivore, the luderick, Girella tricuspidata (Quoy and Gaimard)

Anderson¹

1991

Journal of Fish Biology

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The effect of feeding frequency on the mechanisms of digestion in the mucosa and contents of the gastrointestinal tract of the luderick, Girellu fricuspidura (Quoy and Gaimard), was determined.Use was made of the variation in utilization frequency of Enteromorpha intestinalis by C. rricuspidura fed according to two different regimes to determine the importance of these digestive mechanisms in algal digestion.The contents of the oesophagus and stomach of fish fed ud libitum were consistently acidic whilst those from fish deprived of food were highly variable and more alkaline. The contents of the pyloric caeca. intestine and rectum were slightly alkaline in both groups.The number of microorganisms found in the digestive tract increased with a reduction in food availability. There was no significant cellulase activity in any of the animals tested.Amylase and lipase were found in the pyloric caeca, intestine and rectum, but were not present in the oesophagus or stomach. Lipase activities were highly variable. Although some protease was found in the posterior portion of the gut, the majority of the activity occurred in the oesophagus and stomach.Generally, amylase, lipase, and protease activities were unaffected by a change in the feeding regime of the fish from being fed ud libitum to being fed for a period of 24 h every 5 days. It is concluded that a reduced activity ofenzymes that hydrolyse algal cell contents is not the reason for the lower utilization efficiency of food-deprived fish.It is clear that the only difference in digestive mechanisms between fish fed ad libirum and fish fed infrequently is the variation in pH of the foregut. It is considered likely that the increased acidity of the foregut of animals fed ad Iibilum facilitates hydrolysis of the algal cell walls and allows greater utilization of algae by these fish.

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“…1). In some other fish, they have been implicated in chitin digestion (Okutani 1966, Goodrich & Morita 1977a, as well as in cellulolytic activity (Stickney & Shumway 1974, Fange & Grove 1979 and in the utilisation of urea (Albertini-Berhaut & Vallet 1972). Our study shows that bacteria isolated from the intestinal caeca do not hydrolyse chitin, even in the presence of trace amounts of N-acetylglucosamine (NAG) required by some bacteria for chitinase induction (Monreal & Reese 1969), nor do they use complex polysaccharides or azocasein directly as a substrate.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, although bacteria have been implicated in the utilisation of both cellulose and chitin in nearshore and estuarine fishes (Stickney & Shumway 1974, Goodrich & Morita 1977a whose diet may comprise substantial quantities of detrital material, our data suggest that the 'endogenous' digestive enzymes of the anchovy Engraulis capensis are capable of exploiting a wide range of food items, including diatoms and Crustacea, without bacterial involvement (Bitterlich 1985, Danulat 1986a. The gut microflora isolated from the caeca appear to be incapable of direct utilisation of the principal components of the diet of this anchovy, and may be maintained by uhhsation of the endproducts of carbohydrate, protein and chitin degradation, released by the action of anchovy enzymes.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Digestive enzymes of the anchovy Engraulis capensis in relation to diet

Seiderer¹,

Davis²,

Robb³

et al. 1987

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Digestive enzymes of the anchovy Engraulis capensis in relation to diet' Department of Microbiology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7700, South Africa Institute for Marine Environmental Research, Prospect Place, Plymouth PL1 3DH, United Kingdom ABSTRACT: The anchovy Engraulis capensis (Glch.) is capable of exploiting both diatoms and Crustacea as a food resource. Much of the crustacean exoskeletal rnatenal passes into the hindgut after initial dsruphon in the stomach. Both laminarinase and cl-amylase activity are relatively low in the oesophagus and stomach, but increase in the caeca and lumen of the intestine. There is no evidence of cellulolytic activity in the gut although numerous gut bacteria occur in the caeca and lumen of the intestine. Distribution of protease activity in the gut follows that of carbohydrases, most proteolytic activity being present in the lumen of the intestine, rather than in the oesophagus or stomach. In contrast, chitinase activity is found early in the digestive pathway and is capable of attacking the chitinous exoskeleton of Crustacea in the stomach, prior to hydrolysis of their contents by carbohydrases and proteases. Bacteria isolated from the intestinal caeca do not hydrolyse chitin, nor do they degrade long-chain polysaccharides or azocasein. Most of the isolates were capable of utilisation of simple sugars cornnlonly found in diatoms and released following hydrolysis of polysaccharides, and also of utilisation of N-acetylglucosamine formed as an endproduct of chitin hydrolysis. Anaerobic strains were, In addition, capable of urea utilisation. Our data thus suggest that digestive enzymes allow E capensjs to exploit a wide range of food items, including diatoms and Crustacea, without bacterial involvement. The gut rnicroflora may be primarily maintained by uptake of the endproducts of carbohydrate, protein and chitin degradation.

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Incidence and estimation of chitinase activity associated with marine fish and other estuarine samples

Cited by 32 publications

References 7 publications

Evolution of Herbivory in a Carnivorous Clade of Minnows (Teleostei: Cyprinidae): Effects on Gut Size and Digestive Physiology

Evolution of Herbivory in a Carnivorous Clade of Minnows (Teleostei: Cyprinidae): Effects on Gut Size and Digestive Physiology

Mechanisms of digestion in the marine herbivore, the luderick, Girella tricuspidata (Quoy and Gaimard)

Digestive enzymes of the anchovy Engraulis capensis in relation to diet

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