Betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase is regulated during WSSV infection in white shrimp

The white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is the most lethal virus that infect shrimps, generating economic losses for aquaculture industry. Osmotic stress compromises the immune response in WSSV-infected shrimp. Betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase (BADH E.C. 1.2.1.8) is an enzyme that participates in the regulation of osmotic stress, and that is up-regulated in shrimp exposed to changes in salinity concentration. However, different gene expression studies in shrimp during WSSV infection focused in changes on the mechanisms of energy production and cellular defense genes, without considering genes sensitive to osmotic variation. In this work, we evaluate the mRNA levels and activity of the BADH enzyme, as well as glycine betaine (GB) accumulation, during WSSV infection in white shrimp. Shrimps were inoculated with WSSV and samples from the hepatopancreas were collected at 24 and 48 h post-infection. Our results demonstrate that WSSV infection increases the expression of BADH 1.5-fold at 48h and the enzyme activity increase 4.28- and 4.59-fold at 24 and 48 h, respectively. Also, higher accumulation of GB was observed during WSSV infection. These results suggest that BADH could participate in the cellular response during WSSV infection in white shrimp.