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<p>In recent years, the market demand has greatly increased for sea cucumbers. Exploring the regulatory mechanism of food wanting (incentive salience) is particularly important for improving the production efficiency of sea cucumber aquaculture. The role of dopamine in regulating food wanting has been demonstrated in animals with brains, but its function in organisms without brains, such as sea cucumbers remains unclear. The present study investigated whether dopamine regulates food wanting in the deposit-feeding sea cucumber <i>Apostichopus japonicus</i> by influencing either feeding duration or feeding frequency (tentacle grasping frequency). We found that food consumption was significantly higher in sea cucumbers artificially injected with dopamine than those in the control group (<i>P</i> = 0.005). This indicates that dopamine can increase food consumption in <i>A. japonicus</i>. While feeding duration was significantly prolonged (<i>P</i> = 0.014), tentacle grasping frequency showed no significant change (<i>P</i> = 0.946). This indicates that dopamine enhances food wanting specifically by extending feeding duration, not by increasing feeding frequency. <i>Bacillus subtilis</i> can efficiently produce dopamine. Here, we found that <i>A. japonicus</i> fed with dietary <i>B. subtilis</i> for a week had significantly higher food consumption than those in the control group (<i>P</i> = 0.026). This suggests that dietary <i>B. subtilis</i> can enhance food consumption in <i>A. japonicus</i>. The higher feed consumption was a result of a significantly longer feeding duration (<i>P</i> = 0.016), suggesting that <i>B. subtilis</i> regulates food consumption similarly to the injection with dopamine. This study provides the first evidence for a conserved dopamine-regulated food system in invertebrates without brains through regulation of feeding duration and the subsequent food consumption. This study provides a novel strategy to improve production efficiency in sea cucumber aquaculture through regulating food consumption.</p>

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Dopamine regulates food consumption and feeding duration in the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus: New insights into aquaculture

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月18日

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  • Xiajing Wang,
  • Xiang Li,
  • Huiyan Wang,
  • Jia Luo,
  • Guo Wu,
  • Hengye Wu,
  • Chong Zhao

摘要

In recent years, the market demand has greatly increased for sea cucumbers. Exploring the regulatory mechanism of food wanting (incentive salience) is particularly important for improving the production efficiency of sea cucumber aquaculture. The role of dopamine in regulating food wanting has been demonstrated in animals with brains, but its function in organisms without brains, such as sea cucumbers remains unclear. The present study investigated whether dopamine regulates food wanting in the deposit-feeding sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus by influencing either feeding duration or feeding frequency (tentacle grasping frequency). We found that food consumption was significantly higher in sea cucumbers artificially injected with dopamine than those in the control group (P = 0.005). This indicates that dopamine can increase food consumption in A. japonicus. While feeding duration was significantly prolonged (P = 0.014), tentacle grasping frequency showed no significant change (P = 0.946). This indicates that dopamine enhances food wanting specifically by extending feeding duration, not by increasing feeding frequency. Bacillus subtilis can efficiently produce dopamine. Here, we found that A. japonicus fed with dietary B. subtilis for a week had significantly higher food consumption than those in the control group (P = 0.026). This suggests that dietary B. subtilis can enhance food consumption in A. japonicus. The higher feed consumption was a result of a significantly longer feeding duration (P = 0.016), suggesting that B. subtilis regulates food consumption similarly to the injection with dopamine. This study provides the first evidence for a conserved dopamine-regulated food system in invertebrates without brains through regulation of feeding duration and the subsequent food consumption. This study provides a novel strategy to improve production efficiency in sea cucumber aquaculture through regulating food consumption.