Transcriptome profiling of olive flounder responses under acute and chronic heat stress

The olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) is a saltwater fish, which is valuable to the economy. The olive flounder strives to adapt to environmental stressors through physiological, biochemical, and transcriptional responses. The rise in water temperature threatens the growth, development, reproduction, and survival of olive flounder. Each organ in the olive flounder can differentially respond to heat stress.

The purpose of this study is to investigate organ-specific transcriptional changes in olive flounder tissues during heat stress.

In this study, transcriptome dynamics of the gill, liver, and muscle of olive flounder to acute or chronic heat stress were investigated.

Principal component analysis plotting revealed that the transcriptome of each organ is quite separated. K-means clustering, gene ontology, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis showed the differential transcriptome responses of each organ to heat stress. Heat stress commonly affects the pathways involved in the correct protein folding, DNA repair, and cell cycle.

Our results may provide a valuable molecular basis of heat acclimation in fishes.