Comparative Transcriptome Analysis Reveals the Effect of Aurantiochytrium sp. on Gonadal Development in Zebrafish

Yanlin Huang; Hao Yang; Yikai Li; Yuwen Guo; Guangli Li; Huapu Chen

doi:10.3390/ani13152482

Comparative Transcriptome Analysis Reveals the Effect of Aurantiochytrium sp. on Gonadal Development in Zebrafish

Animals (Basel). 2023 Aug 1;13(15):2482. doi: 10.3390/ani13152482.

Authors

Yanlin Huang¹, Hao Yang¹, Yikai Li¹, Yuwen Guo¹, Guangli Li¹, Huapu Chen^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Guangdong Research Center on Reproductive Control and Breeding Technology of Indigenous Valuable Fish Species, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Biology and Epidemiology for Aquatic Economic Animals, Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China.
² Key Laboratory of Utilization and Conservation for Tropical Marine Bioresources of Ministry of Education, Hainan Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Tropical Marine Fishery Resources, Yazhou Bay Innovation Institute, Hainan Tropical Ocean University, Sanya 572022, China.

Abstract

Aurantiochytrium sp. has received much attention as a potential resource for mass production of omega-3 fatty acids, which contribute to improved growth and reproduction in aquatic animals. In this study, we evaluated the gonadal index changes in zebrafish supplemented with 1-3% Aurantiochytrium sp. crude extract (TE) and the effects of ex vivo environmental Aurantiochytrium sp. on oocytes. 1% TE group showed significant improvement in the gonadal index, and both in vitro incubation and intraperitoneal injection promoted the maturation of zebrafish oocytes. In contrast, the transcriptome revealed 576 genes that were differentially expressed between the 1% TE group and the control group, including 456 up-regulated genes and 120 down-regulated genes. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO) pathway analysis of differentially expressed genes indicated that Aurantiochytrium sp. potentially affects pathways such as lipid metabolism, immune regulation, and oocyte development in zebrafish. The results of this study enriched the knowledge of Aurantiochytrium sp. in regulating gonadal development in zebrafish and provided a theoretical basis for its application in aquaculture.

Keywords: Aurantiochytrium sp.; gonadal development; transcriptome; zebrafish.

Grants and funding

This article was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32273131, 32172971), South China Aquaculture Breeding Funding (2022RHDKFKT01), the science and technology plan of Guangdong Province (2023B0202010016), the talent team tender grant of Zhanjiang marine equipment and biology (2021E05035), the science and technology plan of Zhanjiang City (2022A01214), the science and technology plan of Yangjiang City (2022011).