The Dynamics of Gene Expression Unraveling the Immune Response of Macrobrachium rosenbergii Infected by Aeromonas veronii

Genes (Basel). 2023 Jun 30;14(7):1383. doi: 10.3390/genes14071383.

Abstract

To further investigate the immune response of Macrobrachium rosenbergii against Aeromonas veronii, comparative transcriptomic analyses of the M. rosenbergii hepatopancreas were conducted on challenge and control groups at 6, 12, and 24 h post-infection (hpi), independently. A total of 51,707 high-quality unigenes were collected from the RNA-seq data, and 8060 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were discovered through paired comparisons. Among the three comparison groups, a KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed that 173 immune-related DEGs were considerably clustered into 28 immune-related pathways, including the lysosome, the phagosome, etc. Moreover, the expression levels of the four key immune-related genes (TOLL, PAK1, GSK3β, and IKKα) were evaluated at various stages following post-infection in the hepatopancreas, hemolymph, and gills. Both PAK1 and GSK3β genes were highly up-regulated in all three tissues at 6 hpi with A. veronii; TOLL was up-regulated in the hepatopancreas and hemolymph but down-regulated in the gill at 6 hpi, and IKKα was up-regulated in hemolymph and gill, but down-regulated in the hepatopancreas at 6 hpi. These findings lay the groundwork for understanding the immune mechanism of M. rosenbergii after contracting A. veronii.

Keywords: Aeromonas veronii; Macrobrachium rosenbergii; differentially expressed genes; transcriptome.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aeromonas veronii* / genetics
  • Animals
  • Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta / genetics
  • I-kappa B Kinase / genetics
  • Immunity
  • Palaemonidae* / genetics
  • Transcriptome / genetics

Substances

  • Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta
  • I-kappa B Kinase

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the earmarked fund for the China Agriculture Research System (CARS-48), key scientific and technological grant of Zhejiang for breeding new agricultural (Aquaculture) varieties (2021C02069-4-3), and the major research and development program (modern agriculture) of Jiangsu province (BE2019352).