The lined seahorse (Hippocampus erectus), an endangered species listed under CITES Appendix II, encounters critical bottlenecks in juvenile rearing due to its agastric digestive tract, tubular snout structure, and vertical feeding posture. Identifying suitable initial live prey that meets the specific physiological needs is crucial for mitigating these challenges in juvenile seahorse aquaculture. This study systematically evaluated the effects of AN (Artemia nauplii), CO (copepods), and their combinations at different ratios (2:1, MX1; 1:2, MX2) on the growth performance, weaning success (WS), immune-digestive enzyme activities, and intestinal health in H. erectus. Results demonstrated that the MX2 combined diet exhibited significantly higher survival rate (82.41 %), WS (95.28 %), specific weight growth rate (SGRW, 6.27 +/- 0.04 %& sdot;d- 1), and final body weight (574.9 mg) compared to single-prey diets. Enzyme activity analysis revealed significantly enhanced antioxidant capacity (catalase (CAT), 10.91 U/mg prot) and digestive enzyme activity (protease (PG), 590.55 U/mg prot) in the MX2 group. Histological examination discerned more structurally intact intestinal tissues with increased epithelial folds in both MX1 and MX2 groups. Furthermore, villus height (171.36 mu m) was notably higher in the MX2 group than in single-prey groups. The MX2 diet enriched beneficial bacteria (Lactobacillus spp., 12.55 %), suppressed potential pathogens, and maintained higher microbial diversity and metabolic functionality. Overall, the MX2 composite diet markedly improved juvenile survival and growth performance during the early feeding stage, along with digestive capacity, while optimizing intestinal structure and microbiota composition through nutritional synergism. These findings provide novel insights into a multidimensional "nutrition-microbiota-immunity" regulatory framework for efficient H. erectus aquaculture.

As a traditional element of Chinese medicine, Hippocampus erectus is well known for promoting adolescent growth, yet its active fractions and underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, the aqueous extract of H. erectus was subjected to in vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion and ultrafiltration to separate three molecular weight fractions (<10 kDa, 10-30 kDa, >30 kDa). Their chemical profiles were characterized, and osteogenic activities were systematically evaluated using cell assays, a juvenile rat model, and integrated transcriptomics and data-independent acquisition (DIA) proteomics. Results revealed that chemical profiling showed the >30 kDa fraction was mainly composed of hemocyanin subunits, and the 10-30 kDa fraction was enriched in growth-related amino acids and steroid derivatives; functionally, the 10-30 kDa fraction promoted preosteoblast proliferation and early differentiation via enhanced alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, while the >30 kDa fraction dominated late osteoblast maturation and mineralization. Both fractions significantly increased rat body and bone length by expanding growth plate proliferative zones and elevating serum insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1)/bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) levels. Transcriptomic and proteomic analyses identified vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), Wingless-related integration site (Wnt), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-protein kinase B (PI3K-Akt), and extracellular matrix (ECM)-receptor interaction as potential core regulatory pathways. Integrated multi-omics analysis further confirmed Frizzled-related protein B (Frzb) and AKT1 substrate 1 (Akt1s1) as candidate key regulatory targets enriched in the Wnt and adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling pathways. These findings elucidate the multi-fraction, multi-pathway mechanism of H. erectus in promoting skeletal development, providing scientific evidence for its traditional use and a theoretical basis for growth-promoting functional food development.

The increasing frequency of extreme temperature events under climate change poses a growing threat to the stability of tropical sea cucumber aquaculture. To characterize the molecular responses of the tropical sea cucumber Stichopus monotuberculatus to acute temperature stress, juveniles were exposed for 96 h to 15 °C, 20 °C, 25 °C, 30 °C, and 35 °C, followed by transcriptomic profiling of the intestine. By transcriptomic analysis, 2258, 634, 1618, and 2980 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified at 15, 20, 30, and 35 °C compared to control, respectively. More DEGs were generally detected at temperatures further from 25 °C, with the 35 °C group showing the largest transcriptional response. Although cold and heat stress both affected metabolism and protein homeostasis, their enrichment profiles differed. At 15 °C, DEGs were mainly enriched in the spliceosome and p53 signaling pathways, highlighting RNA processing and p53 signaling as prominent features of the cold-stress response. At 35 °C, DEGs were mainly enriched in the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, and mitophagy, indicating enhanced regulation of cell survival, protein turnover, and mitochondrial quality control. HSP genes also responded differently to cold and heat stress. Most HSP70 and HSP90 family members were downregulated at low temperatures, whereas HSP70 genes and small heat shock proteins were markedly upregulated at high temperatures. Overall, the intestinal transcriptome showed distinct responses to cold and heat stress. These results identify pathways and HSP genes potentially involved in the temperature response of S. monotuberculatus and provide useful information for evaluating temperature tolerance and defining suitable temperatures for its aquaculture.

This study aims to explore the impact of acute temperature stresses on Stichopus monotuberculatus, focusing on behaviors, metabolic changes, tissue structures, and the activities of enzymes. S. monotuberculatus weighing 3.6 +/- 1.12 g were selected to conduct acute temperature stress experiments and analyzed the physiological response of S. monotuberculatus to acute temperature stress. The results indicate that under extreme temperature stress, S. monotuberculatus exhibits significant reductions in activity and adhesion. High temperature stress led to an increase in respiratory metabolism. The main adaptive strategy to low temperature stress involved obtaining additional energy through protein metabolism. Acute temperature stress also caused structural damage to respiratory and digestive tissues, with the most severe deterioration observed in the 15 degrees C and 35 degrees C groups. The oxidative stress indicators (CAT, AKP and MDA) in the high-temperature groups was higher than that in the lowtemperature groups and the control group. This study reported the response of S. monotuberculatus to temperature stress at the macroscopic level, providing macroscopic data for revealing its temperature tolerance mechanism, enriching the biological theory of this species, and having important guiding significance for temperature management in S. monotuberculatus aquaculture.

This study focused on Stichopus monotuberculatus and conducted stress experiments at salinity levels of 20‰ and 40‰. Intestinal histological changes and the structural characteristics of the intestinal flora of S. monotuberculatus under salinity stress were analyzed. The results show that acute salinity stress inflicts varying degrees of damage to the intestinal tissues of S. monotuberculatus. Salinity stress enhances the species diversity of intestinal flora in S. monotuberculatus. Eight phyla of bacteria are detected in the intestine of S. monotuberculatus. Dominant phyla include Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria. Furthermore, functional prediction reveals that acute salinity stress can significantly modify the abundance of pathways associated with nutrient and energy metabolism mediated by the intestinal flora of S. monotuberculatus. These results indicate that acute salinity stress induces pathological damage to the intestinal tissues of S. monotuberculatus, compromising the microbial habitat and leading to alterations in the intestinal flora composition. Additionally, S. monotuberculatus can mitigate salinity stress by adjusting the composition of its intestinal flora and the corresponding functional pathways.

To investigate the effects of acute salinity stress on physiology and immunoenzymatic activity in juvenile sea cucumbers, Stichopus monotuberculatus and S. monotuberculatus with body weights of 12.6 +/- 3.1 g were selected as study subjects, and a salinity of 30%o %o was used as the control, while salinities of 20%o, %o , 25%o, %o , 35%o %o and 40%o %o were used as acute salinity stress treatment groups. The survival rate of S. monotuberculatus was calculated, histological changes in the intestines were observed, and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and alkaline phosphatase (AKP) in the coelomic fluid, as well as Na+/K+-ATPase + /K +-ATPase in the intestine, were measured and analyzed. The results showed that juvenile S. monotuberculatus could survive at salinities of 20-35%o, %o , and could only survive for 24 h at a salinity of 40%o. %o . Both high and low salinity stress changed the intestinal morphology of S. monotuberculatus, , as epithelial cells were damaged and necrotic, vacuolated in the intestinal villi, and had unclear brush border edges. At 6 h after salinity stress, SOD and CAT activities in coelomic fluid increased or decreased rapidly and then adjusted and recovered gradually with the extension of stress time. SOD activity in the low-salinity groups was significantly higher than that in the control group, and CAT activity was significantly higher in the low-salinity groups (20%o %o and 25%o) %o ) than in the high-salinity groups (35%o %o and 40%o). %o ). AKP activity in the coelomic fluid was inhibited in the low-salinity groups and showed a gradual increase with increasing salinity. Na+/K+-ATPase + /K +-ATPase activities in intestines showed a slow increase in the 20%o %o salinity group and then dropped back to control levels. In the other salinity groups, Na+/K+-ATPase + /K +-ATPase activity was higher at 6 h and 48 h after salinity stress. The results obtained from the present study indicate that salinity stress affected the survival rate and intestinal morphology of S. monotuberculatus, , and S. monotuberculatus could respond to external environmental changes by regulating the activities of antioxidant enzymes, Na+/K+-ATPase, + /K +-ATPase, and AKP.

Hydrophiine sea snakes represent ecologically significant and species-rich marine predatory reptiles, many of which inhabit marine environments throughout their entire lifecycles. However, due to morphological variability and limited molecular phylogenetic studies, the taxonomic relationships within this group remain unclear. In this study, we present the first complete mitochondrial genome of Aipysurus sea snakes, specifically Aipysurus eydouxii Gray 1849. The mitogenome comprises 17,228 base pairs and contains a total of 37 genes , plus a putative control region. This study provides valuable genetic data that will contribute to the future taxonomic classification and ecological protection of hydrophiine sea snakes.

This study investigated the impacts of salinity stress on the physiological behavior, respiratory metabolism, and transcriptome of artificially cultured juvenile Stichopus monotuberculatus (S. monotuberculatus) (with a body weight of 3.23 ± 0.60 g). S. monotuberculatus individuals cultured in artificial seawater were transferred to artificial seawater with salinities of 20‰, 30‰, and 40‰ for salinity stress treatment. The physiological behavior of S. monotuberculatus was observed, and their ammonia discharge rates, oxygen consumption rates, and oxygen/nitrogen (O/N) ratios were measured. After 24 h of stress, the intestines of S. monotuberculatus were collected for transcriptome sequencing. The results showed that both hyper-salinity and hypo-salinity stresses significantly affected the physiological status of S. monotuberculatus. The oxygen consumption and ammonia discharge rates of the hyper-salinity group (40‰) and hypo-salinity (20‰) group were remarkably higher than those of the control group (P<0.05), and the O/N ratios of the two groups were significantly lower than those of the control group (P<0.05). Sequencing identified a total of 3840 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) from the salinity-stress groups and the control group. GO analysis revealed that DEGs were mainly enriched in biological processes, cellular components, and molecular functional categories, with the highest enrichment observed in cellular processes, metabolic processes, membranes, binding, and catalytic activities. KEGG analysis showed that the DEGs of hyper-salinity and hypo-salinity groups were enriched in different secondary pathways, with the expressions of related genes significantly upregulated, indicating that S. monotuberculatus may adapt to hyper-salinity and hypo-salinity environments through various regulatory mechanisms. The results verify that salinity stress significantly affects the physiological behavior and respiratory metabolism of S. monotuberculatus. S. monotuberculatus respond to hyper-salinity and hypo-salinity stresses by increasing protein consumption and adopting different adaptation mechanisms. Furthermore, S. monotuberculatus exhibits stronger tolerance to hypo-salinity environments compared to hyper-salinity ones.

White Spot Disease is one of the most harmful diseases of the red tail shrimp, which can cause devastating economic losses due to the highest mortality up to 100% within a few days. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are large class of small noncoding RNAs with the ability to post-transcriptionally repress the translation of target mRNAs. MiRNAs are considered to have a significant role in the innate immune response of crustaceans, particularly in relation to antiviral defense mechanisms. Numerous crustacean miRNAs have been verified to be required in host immune defense against viral infection, however, till present, the miRNAs functions of F. penicillatus defense WSSV infection have not been studied yet. Here in this study, for the first time, miRNAs involved in the F. penicillatus immune defense against WSSV infection were identified using high-throughput sequencing platform. A total of 432 miRNAs were obtained including 402 conserved miRNAs and 30 novel predicted miRNAs. Comparative analysis between the WSSV-challenged group and the control group revealed differential expression of 159 microRNAs in response to WSSV infection. Among these, 48 were up-regulated and 111 were down-regulated. Ten candidate MicroRNAs associated with immune activities were randomly selected for qRT-PCR analysis, which confirming the expression profiling observed in the MicroRNA sequencing data. As a result, most differentially expressed miRNAs were down-regulated lead to increase the expression of various target genes that mediated immune reaction defense WSSV infection, including genes related to signal transduction, Complement and coagulation cascade, Phagocytosis, and Apoptosis. Furthermore, the genes expression of the key members in Toll and Imd signaling pathways and apoptotic signaling were mediated by microRNAs to activate host immune responses including apoptosis against WSSV infection. These results will help to understand molecular defense mechanism against WSSV infection in F. penicillatus and to develop an effective WSSV defensive strategy in shrimp farming.

Holothuria scabra, a commercially valuable yet ecologically vulnerable tropical holothuroid, has experienced a severe decline in its wild populations, especially in China. Genomic resources are crucial for the development of effective genomic breeding projects and stock conservation strategies to restore these natural populations. Until now, a high-quality, chromosome-level reference genome for H. scabra has not been available. Here, we employed Oxford Nanopore and Hi-C sequencing technologies to assemble and annotate a high-quality, chromosome-level reference genome of H. scabra. The final genome comprised 31 scaffolds with a total length of 1.19 Gb and a scaffold N50 length of 53.52 Mb. Remarkably, 1,191.67 Mb (99.95%) of the sequences were anchored to 23 pseudo-chromosomes, with the longest one spanning 79.75 Mb. A total of 34,418 protein-coding genes were annotated in the final genome, with BUSCO analysis revealing 98.01% coverage of metazoa_odb10 genes, marking a significant improvement compared to the previous report. These chromosome-level sequences and annotations will provide an essential genomic basis for further investigation into molecular breeding and conservation management of H. scabra.

DATA REPORT article Front. Genet., 12 May 2023Sec. Livestock Genomics Volume 14 - 2023 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2023.1182002

为探讨饲料蛋白质水平对杂交黄颡鱼(黄颡鱼♀×瓦氏黄颡鱼♂)生长、消化酶活性和抗氧化能力的影响,制备蛋白质水平分别为30％、35％、40％、45％和 50％的 5 种试验饲料并用其喂养(1.00±0.05)g杂交黄颡鱼,投喂试验时间为60 d,以确定杂交黄颡鱼饲料蛋白质的最适添加水平.结果表明:1)当饲料蛋白质水平为40％～45％时,杂交黄颡鱼生长性能最佳,杂交黄颡鱼的增重率、特定生长率等生长指标均显著提高(P＜0.05).2)饲料蛋白质水平40％组的杂交黄颡鱼的胃和肠道蛋白酶活性最高(P＜0.05),饲料蛋白质水平45％组的淀粉酶和脂肪酶活性最高(P＜0.05);各组胃蛋白酶活性均高于肠道,肠道淀粉酶、脂肪酶活性在饲料蛋白质水平≥40％时高于胃.3)饲料蛋白质水平为40％～45％组的杂交黄颡鱼肝脏超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)和谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶(GPX)活性显著高于其他组(P＜0.05);当饲料蛋白质水平≥40％时,过氧化氢酶(CAT)活性较高(P＜0.05);丙二醛(MDA)含量随饲料蛋白质水平的增加呈先下降后上升的趋势.综上所述,(1.00±0.05)g杂交黄颡鱼饲料中蛋白质的最适添加水平为40％～45％.

During pond culture or intensive culture system of crabs (mainly Eriocheir sinensis, Portunus trituberculatus and Scylla paramamosain), high-density farming has typically contributed to a higher limb autotomy level in juvenile animals, especially in S. paramamosain which has a high level of cannibalism. Due to the high limb autotomy level, the survival and growth rates in S. paramamosain farming are restricted, which limit the growth of the mud crab farming industry. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that regulate a series of biological processes including innate immune responses by post-transcriptional suppression of their target genes. MiRNAs are believed to be crucial for innate immune process of host wound healing. Many miRNAs have been verified to be required in host immune responses to repair wound and to defense pathogen after tissue damage. However, to our best knowledge, the miRNAs functions of crustacean innate immune reactions against injury induced by limb autotomy have not been studied yet. Here in this study, for the first time, miRNAs involved in the S. paramamosain immune reactions against injury induced by cheliped autotomy were obtained by high-throughput sequencing. A total of 575 miRNAs (518 known miRNAs and 57 novel predicted miRNAs) were obtained, of which 141 differentially expressed microRNAs (93 up-regulated microRNAs and 48 down-regulated microRNAs) were revealed to be modified against cheliped autotomy, and the qPCR results of randomly selected miRNAs confirmed the expression patterns in the miRNAs sequencing data. Numerous immune-related target genes associated with innate immune system were mediated by miRNAs to induce host humoral immune and cellular immune defense to minimize acute physical damage. Furthermore, the genes expression in hemolymph coagulation and melanization pathways, as well as Toll and Imd signaling pathways were mediated by miRNAs to activate host immune responses including melanization and antimicrobial peptides for rapid wound healing and killing invaded pathogens. These results will help to understand injury-induced immune responses in crabs and to develop an effective control strategy of autotomy rate in crabs farming.

Stichopus monotuberculatus is a tropical sea cucumber species and used as a folk medicine and tonic food. In this study, a fucosylated glycosaminoglycan (SmFG), the depolymerized SmFG (dSmFG) and its oligosaccharide fractions were prepared. The SmFG and its depolymerized products were comprised of a chondroitin-sulfate-E backbone, and various sulfated fucose side chains, including an unusual disaccharide side chain connected to the C-3 position of D-glucuronic acid (GlcA) or GlcA-ol. A peeling reaction occurred during the deaminative depolymerization process. The dSmFG and its fractions showed strong anticoagulant activity by selectively inhibiting intrinsic tenase complex, and had no anti-factor IIa, Xa and VIIa activity. The anticoagulant activity reduced with the decrease of molecular weight, and the unusual branch and novel reducing end may enhance the anticoagulant activity. These findings can provide significant information for development and utilization of depolymerized products from SmFG in food and pharmaceutical industries.

DATA REPORT article Front. Genet., 22 July 2022Sec. Livestock Genomics https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2022.910344

痛风是由单钠尿酸盐晶体诱发的炎症性疾病,引起痛风的原因,除了遗传因素外,长期高嘌吟饮食和尿酸排泄障碍,均可导致高尿酸血症,引发痛风.海鲜产品是消费者喜爱的高蛋白食品,同时也是日常诱发痛风发作的主要食物之一,因此开展降减海鲜嘌吟含量技术研究,开发低嘌吟海鲜产品具有重要的研究意义和市场价值.通过综述相关技术及研究现状,为低嘌吟海产品的产业化生产提供借鉴.

简述了海马体内胆甾醇的含量、海马饵料的种类及其胆甾醇和脂肪含量.指出,海马体内的高胆甾醇含量可能是其具有较高药用价值的物质基础之一.提出,探索海马体内重要药效成分胆甾醇的来源与累积机制,并为形成有效的养殖海马胆甾醇含量调控技术提供理论依据,将是海马人工养殖领域的重要研究内容.

Stichopus ocellatus, known as eye-spotted sea cucumber, is a commercially important Stichopodidae holothuroid in Indo-Pacific region for its valuable nutrition and medicinal ingredients. However, because the taxonomic analyses based on morphological characters and molecular data within Aspidochirotida are limited, the deep-level evolutionary relationships of Aspidochirotida are still poorly understood. Here, for providing better insight of future evolutionary and taxonomic classification of Stichopodidae, we report the first complete mitogenome of S. ocellatus along with 37 annotated and characterized mitochondrial genes, and the phylogenetic analysis based on mitogenome data reveals sister relationship between S. ocellatus and S. monotuberculatus.

The true crabs (Brachyura) including Calappidea are one of the most diverse groups of Decapod crustaceans However, despite their great diversity and commercial importance, phylogenetic and classification relationships within Calappidea are still complicated and controversial. In this study, we report the first complete mitochondrial genome of Matuta victos. The mitogenome has 17,782 base pairs (70.1% A + T content) and is made up of a total of 37 genes (13 protein-coding, 22 transfer RNAs and two ribosomal RNAs), plus a putative control region. This study will provide useful molecular resources for clarifying evolutionary and phylogenetic confusion within Calappidea.

The white-bottomed sea cucumber, Actinopyga lecanora, is a valuable inshore fisheries resource which is famous for its high nutrition and pharmacological compounds. However, due to morphological plasticity and limited molecular phylogenetic studies, the taxonomic histories in the genus Actinopyga have not been completely resolved yet. Moreover, there remains a complex of cryptic species within Actinopyga, many of which are incorrectly assigned within the family Holothuriidae. In this study, we report the complete mitochondrial genome of A. lecanora. The mitogenome has 15,568 base pairs (63.40% A + T content) and is made up of a total of 37 genes (13 protein-coding, 22 transfer RNAs and 2 ribosomal RNAs), plus a putative control region. This study offers useful mitogenome data for future phylogenetic and taxonomic classification of Holothuriidae.