Replacement of Dietary Fish Protein with Bacterial Protein Results in Decreased Adiposity Coupled with Liver Gene Expression Changes in Female Danio rerio.

BACKGROUND: Effective use of Danio rerio as a preclinical model requires standardization of macronutrient sources to achieve scientific reproducibility across studies and labs. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to evaluate a bacterial-based single-cell protein (SCP) for the production of open-source standardized diets with defined health characteristics for the zebrafish research community. METHODS: We completed a 16-wk feeding trial using juvenile D. rerio 31 d postfertilization (10 tanks per diet and 14 D. rerio per tank) with formulated diets containing either a typical fish protein ingredient [standard reference (SR) diet] or a novel bacterial SCP source [bacterial protein (BP) diet]. At the end of the feeding trial, growth metrics, body composition, reproductive success, and bulk transcriptomics of the liver (RNAseq on female D. rerio with confirmatory rtPCR) were performed for each diet treatment. RESULTS: D. rerio fed the BP diet had body weight gains equivalent to the D. rerio fed fish protein, and females had significantly lower total carcass lipid, indicating reduced adiposity. Reproductive success was similar between treatments, suggesting normal physiological function. Genes differentially expressed in female D. rerio fed the BP diet compared with females fed the SR diet were overrepresented in the gene ontologies of metabolism, biosynthesis of cholesterol precursors and products, and protein unfolding responses. CONCLUSION: Protein source substantially affected body growth metrics and composition as well as gene expression. These data support the development of an open-source diet utilizing an ingredient that correlates with improved health profiles and reduced variability in notable outcomes.