In animal agriculture, aquaculture is on the rise due to the deficit in seafood production relative to its increased consumption in the US. This fast-paced growth needs a sustainable, economic approach to support production which in part is dependent on aquafeeds. The go-to choices for aquafeed preparation are fish meal sources because of their nutrient-dense and protein-rich profiles, thus fish sources are overexploited to support industry production. Current sustainable alternatives to mitigate the overuse of fish sources by the industry include plant-based diets due to their availability and known nutritional profiles. However, plant protein sources lack the essential amino acid methionine.
Methionine is important in protein synthesis (E.g., proteins in skeletal muscle that could add to fillet yield in fish, further improving industry outcomes) and gene regulation via epigenetic mechanisms. For instance, methionine availability regulates factors associated with in vitro muscle growth through epigenetic modulation in rainbow trout. Methionine, a methyl donor, was implicated in changing the DNA methylation patterns of circadian-regulated genes associated with in vitro myogenesis in our current study. However, as observed in most organisms, differential methylation status is not always correlated to changes in gene expression. This study investigated the normal circadian-regulated gene expression patterns with, without, and on reintroducing methionine during in vitro myogenesis. Data will shed light on the potential implication of methionine availability on muscle growth with insights on supplementation for plant-based feeds and its effects on the growth of commercially important species in aquaculture.