Changes in gene expression at the early stages of barramundi (Lates calcarifer) muscle cell line development

BACKGROUND: The use of cell lines in place of whole organisms can allow for the rapid and improved understanding of important cellular processes. Gaining a better understanding of muscle growth at both cellular and molecular levels allows for a better understanding of skeletal growth, gene expression, signalling pathways, and even disease mechanisms. Although there has been an increase in the number of species used to produce cell lines for research, there remains a lack of knowledge of gene expression patterns throughout early-stage cell culture starting at the muscle explant stage in a marine teleost. METHODS: A muscle cell line was developed to conduct a preliminary study on the changes in gene expression throughout the early stages of muscle cell line development in barramundi (Lates calcarifer), an important aquaculture species. Gene expression was recorded for key muscle regulatory genes over a 14-day period in culture at the muscle explant stage, the first three passages, as well as throughout the differentiation of myoblasts. RESULTS: The expression of major myogenic regulatory factor genes along with the ability of the cells to differentiate confirmed the cell line's identity as a myogenic cell line. Gene expression shifted according to ongoing biological changes associated with early-stage cell culture development as well as subsequent passaging and aligned with the functional roles of the corresponding genes. CONCLUSION: These findings offer preliminary insight into the gene expression changes at the early stages of muscle cell line development in a marine teleost.