Metabolic Elasticity and Induction of Heat Shock Protein 70 in Labeo rohita Acclimated to Three Temperatures

The metabolic response of Labeo rohita to thermal acclimation was assessed. Advanced fingerlings of L. rohita (average weight $31{\pm}1.4g$) were acclimated to 31, 33 and $36^{\circ}C$ compared with ambient temperatures ($26^{\circ}C$) for 30 days and different enzymes associated with stress response were estimated. Glycolytic enzyme-Lactate dehydrogenase, (LDH, E.C.1.1.1.27), TCA cycle enzyme-Malate dehydrogenase (MDH, E.C.1.1.1.37), Protein metabolizing enzymes-Aspartate amino transferase (AST, E.C.2.6.1.1) and Alanine amino transferase (ALT, E.C.2.6.1.2) of liver, gill and muscle, Gluconeogenic enzymes-Fructose 1,6 Bi phosphatase (FBPase, E.C. 3.1.3.11) and Glucose 6 phosphatase (G6Pase, E.C. 3.1.3.9) of liver and kidney were significantly (p<0.05) different with increasing acclimation temperatures. Heat Shock Protein-70 (HSP-70) was expressed in increasing intensity at 31, 33 and $36^{\circ}C$ but was not expressed at $26^{\circ}C$. Results suggest that higher acclimation temperatures enhance metabolism and L. rohita maintains homeostasis between $26-36^{\circ}C$ via an acclimation episode. Such adaptation appears to be facilitated by resorting to gluconeogenic and glycogenolytic pathways for energy mobilization and induction of HSPs.