The combination of hypoxia and high temperature affects heat shock, anaerobic metabolism, and pentose phosphate pathway key components responses in the white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei)

Due to global warming, world water bodies have higher temperatures and lower oxygen concentrations that affect aquatic species including the white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei. This species withstands these conditions, but the information of the physiological responses that allow them to survive are scarce. We analyzed the effects of high temperature, hypoxia, reoxygenation, and the combination of these factors on the relative expression of selected genes: HSF1, Hsp70, p53, TIGAR, HIF-1α, and VEGF1–3 in gills of L. vannamei. Additionally, glucose, lactate, NADP, and NADPH were determined. HSF1 was up-regulated in the high temperature and oxygen stress conditions, but Hsp70 was up-regulated only in reoxygenation at both temperatures. HIF-1α was also up-regulated by reoxygenation in both temperatures. Meanwhile, the VEGF genes were not altered by the stress conditions, since none of them changed expression drastically. p53 relative expression remained stable at the tested stress conditions, which prompts to the maintenance of antioxidant defenses. TIGAR expression was induced in normoxia and hypoxia at high temperature, which induced NADPH content helping to scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS). Additionally, high temperature caused higher glucose and lactate content in normoxia and hypoxia, indicating carbohydrate mobilization and a switch to anaerobic metabolism. The results showed that HSF1, the anaerobic metabolism and the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) are crucial for the shrimp response to these abiotic stress conditions and contribute to their survival.