Time-series transcriptomic analysis of the kelp grouper Epinephelus moara in response to low salinity stress

ABSTRACTThe Kelp grouper Epinephelus moara is one of the most widely consumed and economically important marine fish in China. The species can tolerate a wide range of salinity, but genomic resources are not available, and the molecular mechanisms underlying adaptation to salinity at the transcriptomic level remain largely unclear. In this study, the transcriptomic responses of the liver of E. moara under low salinity were investigated using the Illumina digital gene expression system. After de novo assembly, 499,356 transcripts were generated and contributed 445,068 unigenes. A total of 14, 19, 33 and 3101 genes were differentially expressed following exposure to low salinity stress for 2, 6, 24 and 48 h, respectively. Only two genes were differentially expressed in all groups. Four genes related to metabolism and ambient salinity adaption were randomly selected to validate the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) by real-time PCR. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) p...