Transcriptomic analysis of adaptive mechanisms in response to sudden salinity drop in the mud crab, Scylla paramamosain

Background: Scylla paramamosain (Crustacea: Decapoda: Portunidae: Syclla De Hann) is a commercially important mud crab distributed along the coast of southern China and other Indo-Pacific countries (Lin Z, Hao M, Zhu D, et al, Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol 208-209: 29-37, 2017; Walton ME, Vay LL, Lebata JH, et al, Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 66(3-4): 493-500, 2006; Wang Z, Sun B, Zhu F, Fish Shellfish Immunol 67: 612-9, 2017). While S. paramamosain is a euryhaline species, a sudden drop in salinity induces a negative impact on growth, molting, and reproduction, and may even cause death. The mechanism of osmotic regulation of marine crustaceans has been recently under investigation. However, the mechanism of adapting to a sudden drop in salinity has not been reported. Methods: In this study, transcriptomics analysis was conducted on the gills of S. paramamosain to test its adaptive capabilities over 120 h with a sudden drop in salinity from 23 parts per thousand to 3 parts per thousand. Results: At the level of transcription, 135 DEGs (108 up-regulated and 27 down-regulated) annotated by NCBI non-redundant (nr) protein database were screened. GO analysis showed that the catalytic activity category showed the most participating genes in the 24 s-tier GO terms, indicating that intracellular metabolic activities in S. paramamosain were enhanced. Of the 164 mapped KEGG pathways, seven of the top 20 pathways were closely related to regulation of the Na+/K+-ATPase. Seven additional amino acid metabolism-related pathways were also found, along with other important signaling pathways. Conclusion: Ion transport and amino acid metabolism were key factors in regulating the salinity adaptation of S. paramamosain in addition to several important signaling pathways.