Transcriptome research conducted on the liver and spleen of Jinhu grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus♀ × Epinephelus tukula♂) reveals the mechanism in response to Vibrio anguillarum infection

Abstract

Vibrio anguillarum serves as a pathogenic organism in aquaculture, leading to a lethal hemolytic septicemia in aquatic species. Whereas little study has evaluated the molecular mechanism of the infection caused by V. anguillarum in Jinhu grouper. In this study, analysis of the transcriptome was conducted on the liver and spleen tissues from Jinhu groupers infected with V. anguillarum infection. We identified 2978 DEGs in the liver group and 2506 DEGs in spleen group, including 1689 and 1502 up-regulated genes and 1289 and 1004 down-regulated genes, respectively. Gene set enrichment analysis revealed a significant reduction in genes associated with metabolism such as carbon metabolism and glycolysis/gluconeogenesis in the liver, while upregulation of genes linked to the above pathways as well as in the citrate cycle in the spleen. In addition, the upregulated genes in the liver and spleen are both enriched in the cell cycle. Subsequent investigation into the principal DEGs implicated in the TLR pathways showed that V. anguillarum infection may activate the TLR pathway by overexpression of the tlr5 and promote the synthesis of proinflammatory cytokines il1β and il-8. Among these, 11 genes related to metabolism, cell cycle and immunity were selected and characterized. Overall, our research indicates that V. anguillarum can affect the metabolism and cell cycle while also triggering immune defense reactions in Jinhu grouper.