What is it about?
This study examines how appetite-related genes, including the melanocortin system, develop and become rhythmic in the brain of Atlantic salmon during the transition from yolk-based (endogenous) to external (exogenous) feeding. Before first feeding, several appetite genes show cyclic expression, which shifts to a 24-hour pattern after feeding begins, indicating circadian regulation. Two weeks into exogenous feeding, the brain shows increased responsiveness to food, though satiety systems remain immature. Hypothalamic melanocortin neuropeptides also display a distinct spatial distribution early in development, highlighting their role in appetite regulation and energy homeostasis.
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Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
Why is it important?
This study combines development, brain transcriptome, appetite control and circadian rhythm. Most previous studies looked at either brain signaling, circadian rhythms, or feeding behavior separately. This paper bridges molecular neurobiology, daily rhythms, and aquaculture relevance, showing how these systems together shape hunger, growth, and welfare in a key farmed species.
Perspectives
Knowing how the brain and biological clocks control hunger lets fish farmers feed salmon at the right time and in the right way, making aquaculture more efficient, sustainable, and humane.
Sissel Norland
University of Bergen
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Emergence of appetite and circadian rhythmicity in Atlantic salmon brain transcriptome from endogenous to exogenous feeding, PLOS One, March 2026, PLOS,
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0344769.
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