Brain transcriptome analysis reveals genes involved in parental care behaviour in discus fish (Symphysodon haraldi)

Yu-Ling Wei; Bin Wen; Jian-Zhong Gao; Zai-Zhong Chen

doi:10.1016/j.ygcen.2021.113793

Brain transcriptome analysis reveals genes involved in parental care behaviour in discus fish (Symphysodon haraldi)

Gen Comp Endocrinol. 2021 Aug 1:309:113793. doi: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2021.113793. Epub 2021 Apr 19.

Authors

Yu-Ling Wei¹, Bin Wen², Jian-Zhong Gao¹, Zai-Zhong Chen³

Affiliations

¹ National Demonstration Center for Experimental Fisheries Science Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China; Key Laboratory of Freshwater Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China; Shanghai Collaborative Innovation for Aquatic Animal Genetics and Breeding, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China; Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Aquaculture, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China.
² National Demonstration Center for Experimental Fisheries Science Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China; Key Laboratory of Freshwater Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China; Shanghai Collaborative Innovation for Aquatic Animal Genetics and Breeding, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China; Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Aquaculture, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China. Electronic address: bwen@shou.edu.cn.
³ National Demonstration Center for Experimental Fisheries Science Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China; Key Laboratory of Freshwater Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China; Shanghai Collaborative Innovation for Aquatic Animal Genetics and Breeding, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China; Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Aquaculture, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China. Electronic address: chenzz@shou.edu.cn.

PMID: 33887271
DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2021.113793

Abstract

Parental care is common in mammals and allows offspring to obtain milk, a substance rich in a range of nutritional and non-nutritional factors crucial to the survival of newborns. The discus fish Symphysodon spp., an Amazonian cichlid, shows an unusual behaviour: Free-swimming fry bite on their parents' skin mucus for growth and development during the first month after hatching. This is similar to the breastfeeding behaviour of mammals, but little is known about the regulatory mechanism by which discus secrete 'milk' and the related genes involved in parental care. Here, transcriptome sequencing was performed by using the brain tissues of female discus fish in parental and non-parental care. The results showed that a total of 86 differentially expressed genes (71 up-regulated genes and 15 down-regulated genes) were obtained by comparing parental with non-parental discus fish, including up-regulated LAPTM, FOXB, SOX1S, OTX2 and NR1F2, and down-regulated EDNRB, PRKCD, H1-5 and HBE. Through functional enrichment analysis, a total of 20 pathways were identified, e.g., estrogen signaling pathway, inflammatory mediator regulation of TRP channels, vascular smooth muscle contraction, GnRH signaling pathway, neurotrophin signaling pathway, NOD-like receptor signaling pathway, Jak-STAT signaling pathway, Fc gamma R-mediated phagocytosis, serotonergic synapse, autophagy-animal and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction. These pathways and related genes might play important roles in the regulation of discus 'milk' secretion.

Keywords: Brain; Discus fish; Parental care; Skin mucus; Transcriptomic.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Brain
Cichlids* / genetics
Female
Gene Expression Profiling
Mucus / metabolism
Skin / metabolism
Transcriptome