Hypergravity induces alterations in gene expression and epigenetics in zebrafish

Abstract

6th International Symposium on Genomics in Aquaculture (GIA 2022), 4-6 May 2022, GranadaAll forms of life on our planet have been formed under a common factor, gravity; for which it is easy to deduce that any change in this constant could trigger important alterations in these forms of life in the near future settlements beyond Earth. Although some studies use altered gravity to evaluate different animal and cellular models and systems, including fish models, almost nonexistent data regarding molecular mechanisms in fish are found. This work aims to understand the effects of hypergravity on gene expression and epigenetics in zebrafish during early stages of development. We designed a centrifuge by adding two arms with gondolas to place zebrafish larvae at a force of 3 gravities during 6 days post fertilization (dpf). The survival and hatching rate were measured daily, and while no significant changes were found in hatching rate, survival of larvae were decreased up to 20%. The gene expression and global DNA methylation were evaluated in larvae at the end of the treatment, and we found over-expression on some evaluated genes, and a significant global DNA hypermethylation in the larvae exposed to hypergravity. Taken together, these findings show how alterations of Earth-gravity could affect some basic biological responses in fish, and thus being the first steps in exploring molecular events in cultured fish in space-related environments.Peer reviewe