Salinity is an important environmental factor that affects fish growth, development, and reproduction. As euryhaline fish, half-smooth tongue sole (Cynoglossus semilaevis) are a suitable species for deciphering the salinity adaptation mechanism of fish; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying low- and high-salinity responses remain unclear. In this study, RNA-seq was applied to characterize the genes and regulatory pathways involved in C. semilaevis gill responses to high- (32 ppt), low- (8 ppt), and control-salinity (24 ppt) water. Gills were rich in mitochondria-rich cells (MRCs) in high salinity. Compared with control, 2137 and 218 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in low and high salinity, respectively. The enriched functions of most DEGs were metabolism, ion transport, regulation of cell cycle, and immune response. The DEGs involved in oxidative phosphorylation, citrate cycle, and fatty acid metabolism were down-regulated in low salinity. For ion transport, high and low salinity significantly altered the expressions of prlr, ca12, and cftr. In cell cycle arrest and cellular repair, gadd45b, igfbp5, and igfbp2 were significantly upregulated in high and low salinity. For immune response, il10, il34, il12b, and crp increased in high and low salinity. Our findings suggested that alterations in material and energy metabolism, ions transport, cell cycle arrest, cellular repair, and immune response, are required to maintain C. semilaevis gill homeostasis under high and low salinity. This study provides insight into the divergence of C. semilaevis osmoregulation mechanisms acclimating to high and low salinity, which will serve as reference for the healthy culture of C. semilaevis.
Keywords: Differentially expressed genes; Gill morphology; Osmoregulation mechanisms; Salinity stress; Transcriptomic analysis.
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