Transcriptome analysis of response mechanism to ammonia stress in Asian clam (Corbicula fluminea)

Corbicula fluminea is highly sensitive to ammonia, and its response mechanism to ammonia stress is unclear. In this study, C. fluminea was exposed to different levels of ammonia (control group, 10 mg/L, and 25 mg/L) for 24 h and 48 h. A comparative analysis of transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) of C. fluminea digestive gland showed that the expression of 6742 genes (11.54%) was significantly affected by ammonia stress. The TLR, NF-κB, FOXO, and apoptotic signaling pathways were involved in the regulation. The differential expression of 14 genes was confirmed by real-time PCR. In summary, the response mechanism of C. fluminea digestive gland under ammonia stress may be different from that of oxidative stress in marine vertebrates. Also, the NMDAR-mediated pathway may not be the main mechanism in the response to ammonia stress in C. fluminea. The present study is a preliminary study for further investigation into ammonia toxicity in shellfish.