Hypoxia tolerance of fish depends on the catabolic preference between lipid and carbohydrate

However, the mechanism among fish species to tolerate hypoxia are not well known. Here we show that hypoxia response in different fish species is affected by lipid catabolism and preference for lipid or carbohydrate energy source.

Biochemical lipid catabolism activation through activating peroxisome proliferators activated receptor alpha (Ppara) or increasing mitochondrial fat oxidation in tilapia decreased tolerance to acute hypoxia by increasing oxygen consumption and oxidative damage, and reducing carbohydrate catabolism as energy source. Conversely, lipid catabolism inhibition through suppressing entry of lipid into mitochondria in tilapia or individually knocking out three key genes of lipid catabolism in zebrafish increased tolerance to acute hypoxia by decreasing oxygen consumption and oxidative damage, and promoting carbohydrate catabolism.