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Transcriptome Analysis Provides New Insight into Apoptosis and Immunosuppression in Procambarus clarkii After
Shengjie Ren1, Wenjing Xu1, Xianjun Ma1
1State Key Laboratory Incubation Base for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resource in Tarim Basin, Tarim University, Alaer 843300, China.
Biology
|April 13, 2026
Summary
Acute heat stress causes crayfish mortality by triggering a redox crisis, leading to immune cell loss and apoptosis. This research clarifies heat-induced immune collapse in farmed crayfish.
Area of Science:
- Aquatic toxicology
- Crustacean immunology
- Stress physiology
Background:
- Acute heat stress causes significant mortality in farmed red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii).
- The underlying mechanisms of heat-induced immune collapse in crayfish are not well understood.
- Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for improving aquaculture resilience.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the mechanisms of immune collapse in Procambarus clarkii under acute heat stress.
- To investigate the roles of redox imbalance, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and apoptosis in heat-induced mortality.
- To provide a mechanistic framework for enhancing thermal resilience in crayfish aquaculture.
Main Methods:
- Establishment of an acute heat stress model (37 °C, 6 h) for Procambarus clarkii.
- Integrative analysis including hemocyte profiling, redox and immune assays, RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq), and quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR).
- Analysis of gene expression related to apoptosis and ER stress.
Main Results:
- Heat stress significantly increased mortality and reduced total hemocyte count by approximately 25%, with a selective decline in granular cells.
- Severe redox imbalance was observed, characterized by reactive oxygen species (ROS)/hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) accumulation, suppressed superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities, and lipid peroxidation.
- Transcriptomic analysis revealed differential expression of 1446 genes, indicating concurrent activation of ER stress and autophagy, suppression of energy metabolism, and upregulation of pro-apoptotic factors (CASP3, P53) and ER stress markers (GRP78, XBP1).
Conclusions:
- Acute heat stress induces a redox crisis in crayfish, characterized by an "oxidative burst-defense suppression" mechanism.
- This redox crisis activates ER stress and apoptosis, leading to selective loss of hemocytes (granular cells) and systemic immune compromise.
- The study provides a mechanistic framework for heat-induced mortality in crustaceans and a basis for developing interventions to enhance thermal resilience in aquaculture.
