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Updated: Jan 8, 2026
A Hydroponic Co-cultivation System for Simultaneous and Systematic Analysis of Plant/Microbe Molecular Interactions and Signaling
Published on: July 22, 2017
Multi-omics interrogation of herbivorous phenotype acquisition in hybrid culter under a 30% crude protein diet
Yuxiang Wang1, Jinhui Huang1, Ming Wen1
1Engineering Research Center of Polyploid Fish Reproduction and Breeding of the State Education Ministry, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081, China.
Background:
Herbivorous teleosts represent eco-efficient alternatives for sustainable aquaculture, yet the molecular drivers of herbivory in hybrid culter remain elusive. We investigated the hybrid culter (BTBT)-derived from Megalobrama amblycephala (blunt snout bream, BSB, ♀) and Culter alburnus (topmouth culter, TC, ♂)-exhibiting transitional herbivory.
Results:
Morphometric analyses revealed BTBT pharyngeal dentition (formula 2.4.5-5.4.2) and intestinal coiling (IL/BL = 1.63) intermediate between parental phenotypes. After a 12-week 30% protein dietary intervention, digestive enzyme assays demonstrated BTBT's gut cellulase activity (76.02 U/g) mirrored herbivorous BSB (79.83 U/g; P > 0.05) and exceeded carnivorous TC (47.71 U/g; P < 0.05). The 16S rRNA profiling identified enrichment of cellulolytic Flavobacterium and elevated carbohydrate-metabolizing pathways in BTBT. Liver transcriptomics further revealed superior xenobiotic detoxification and glycolytic plasticity in herbivorous BTBT. Multi-omics correlation networks exposed synergistic host-microbiota interactions governing plant polysaccharide utilization and enteric homeostasis. Crucially, h6pd emerged as a nodal regulator, orchestrating NADPH-dependent glycolipid equilibrium, free radical scavenging, and xenobiotic metabolism.
Conclusions:
Our findings establish that herbivory in BTBT arises through tripartite adaptation: Digestive system structural adaptation, symbiotic microbiota-driven enzymology, and conserved regulatory genetics.
