Coding/non-coding cross-talk in intestinal epithelium transcriptome gives insights on how fish respond to stocking...

Area of Science:

• Aquaculture
• Fish Physiology
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Fish exhibit physiological stress responses to increased stocking density.
• The intestine is a sensitive organ to environmental stressors, crucial for fish health.
• Molecular mechanisms underlying stress responses in fish intestines are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how stocking density affects coding and non-coding RNA profiles in rainbow trout intestines.
• To understand the role of these RNA molecules in maintaining fish homeostasis under stress.

Main Methods:

• Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were reared at low (3 kg/m³) and high (40 kg/m³) densities for 30 days.
• Intestine tissues were sampled for total RNA isolation and cDNA library construction.
• Illumina sequencing and differential gene expression analysis were performed.

Main Results:

• A general downregulation of both coding and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) was observed.
• Significant alterations were found in transcripts related to metabolic, immune, and epithelial integrity pathways.
• A strong correlation was identified between differentially expressed transcripts and highly expressed lncRNAs.

Conclusions:

• Stocking density significantly modulates RNA profiles in rainbow trout intestines.
• A crosstalk between coding and non-coding RNAs is suggested in fish under suboptimal conditions.
• lncRNAs play a regulatory role in fish stress response, offering insights for aquaculture health management.