Metabolic growth differences between Gymnocypris przewalskii and Gymnocypris eckloni: A quantitative proteomic perspective

Metabolism plays a crucial role in the growth rate of species. Proteomics serves as a potent tool to explore these metabolic changes. Herein, we investigated the metabolic growth differences in Gymnocypris przewalskii (GP) and Gymnocypris ecklon (GE). After 9 months of culture, the growth rate of GP was slower than that of GE (p < 0.05), while there were no significant differences in survival rates (p > 0.05). To understand the metabolic changes underlying growth superiority, we conducted a proteomic analysis of GP and GE. The metabolic pathways mainly include glycolysis (gluconeogenesis), the pentose phosphate pathway, pyruvate metabolism, amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism, oxidative phosphorylation, and protein digestion and absorption. The study also identified some differentially expressed proteins related to metabolism, such as creatine kinase, glutamate–cysteine ligase, 4-aminobutyrate aminotransferase, hexokinase, pyruvate kinase, L-lactate dehydrogenase, fumarate hydratase, carbonic anhydrase, and cytochrome oxidase. These findings are the first to reveal the molecular mechanism of GP and GE at the protein level. Notably, the expression of proteins related to metabolism may be a factor contributing to the slower growth of GP than GE. The study thus provides important information for genetic breeding and improvement of G. hybrid (GP and GE) for aquaculture production.