Visceral white-nodules disease (VWND), caused by Pseudomonas plecoglossicida, poses a severe threat to the large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea) aquaculture industry. Although breeding resistant strains is a promising strategy, the molecular basis of disease resistance in this host remains poorly understood. Here, 1500 fish were artificially infected, and extreme phenotypes (30 resistant, RL; 30 susceptible, SL) were selected based on survival time and liver pathogen load. Liver histopathology revealed that RL fish maintained intact architecture with only mild vacuolation, whereas SL fish exhibited widespread necrosis, inflammation, and hemosiderin deposition. Consistently, RL fish showed lower MDA levels and higher GSH-Px activity and TAC. Transcriptomic analysis identified 172 differentially expressed genes (DEGs): RL fish were characterized by upregulation of anti-inflammatory and tissue-protective genes (Epo, CAV3) and downregulation of pro-coagulant factors (PAI1, K1kb1). Proteomic analysis identified 111 differentially expressed proteins, with significantly enriched pathways including the peroxisome, pentose phosphate, and phagosome pathways. Integrated cross-omics analysis revealed eight co-enriched KEGG pathways; among them, arginine/proline metabolism, phagosome, oxidative phosphorylation, and focal adhesion were consistently upregulated in the RL group. These findings suggest that effective resistance to VWND in L. crocea may involve a coordinated, multi-layered defense program encompassing redox balance, regulated immune responses, metabolic reprogramming, and cellular homeostasis. Cross-omics-supported candidate factors (e.g., P4ha1, COX6B, RAB5A, CAV3) represent promising targets for functional validation via DNA-level experiments in independent sample sets, and the prominent enrichment of arginine-proline metabolism indicates a potential target for dietary intervention that merits further investigation.
Ting Ye, Jiajie Zhu, Xiao Liang et al.· International Journal of Mol...· 0 citations
Simple Summary To elucidate the poorly understood adaptive mechanisms of Aspiorhynchus laticeps, a critically endangered fish endemic to Xinjiang’s Tarim Basin, under extreme aquatic stress, this study aimed to unravel the evolutionary adaptation patterns of plateau freshwater fish to environmental pressures. By integrating ecological experiments with transcriptome sequencing, we exposed A. laticeps to varied salinity–alkalinity and flow regimes for comparative analysis. We identified 1847 differentially expressed genes that were significantly enriched in TNF/NF-κB immune signaling and metabolic pathways. Experimental evidence confirmed that high saline–alkali stress activates these pathways and modulates target genes to enhance stress tolerance, whereas flow fluctuations regulate energy metabolism through distinct functional genes. This research provides molecular insights for artificial habitat regulation and population conservation of A. laticeps in the Tarim River, and offers a scientific foundation for endangered fish protection, germplasm improvement, and ecological rehabilitation in arid alpine zones. Abstract To understand the adaptive evolution of endangered plateau freshwater fishes to environmental stress and to better explore the underlying mechanisms in Aspiorhynchus laticeps—a critically endangered fish endemic to the Tarim Basin, Xinjiang, China—a combination of ecological experiments and transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) technology was used to study the differences in gene expression patterns among individuals under different salinities and flow conditions. This experiment included four treatment groups (CON, H-SA-S, L-SA, L-SA-S). A. laticeps specimens with an average weight of 2.92 ± 0.62 g and a body length of 58.22 ± 5.10 mm were selected, with three biological replicates for a 96 h combined stress treatment. Moreover, the relationships between these differences and the aquatic environment were analyzed. A total of 1847 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including 935 upregulated genes and 912 downregulated genes, were identified under different aquatic environment stress modes. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses revealed that TNF signal transduction, the NF-κB pathway, and metabolic regulation were significantly enriched among the DEGs (p < 0.05). High salinity–alkali stress significantly activates the TNF/NF-κB pathway, regulates MST1, LOC107702867, LOC113110979 and other genes to enhance the body’s resistance; water flow changes mainly regulate energy metabolism through genes such as NEHOM01_1600 and gptl. These findings provide an important scientific basis for the ecological adaptability, protection, and proliferation of endemic and endangered fish in China, as well as for germplasm innovation to address ecological deterioration in plateau fishes in alpine and arid areas. This study provides a molecular-level theoretical foundation for artificial habitat regulation and the conservation of endangered Aspiorhynchus laticeps populations in the Tarim River.
Huanhuan Wang, Liting Yang, Changcai Liu et al.· Animals· 0 citations
