Transcriptome profile analysis of mucosal immune responses in the gill of Takifugu rubripes infected with Vibrio harveyi

Dong Sheng; Hongli Ma; Xu Ren; Yuxiao Liu; Xiaolong Ding; Qinghua Yu; Weijia Zhou; Shigen Ye; Zhixin Guo

doi:10.1016/j.cbd.2025.101570

Transcriptome profile analysis of mucosal immune responses in the gill of Takifugu rubripes infected with Vibrio harveyi

Comp Biochem Physiol Part D Genomics Proteomics. 2025 Jun 20:56:101570. doi: 10.1016/j.cbd.2025.101570. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Dong Sheng¹, Hongli Ma¹, Xu Ren¹, Yuxiao Liu¹, Xiaolong Ding¹, Qinghua Yu¹, Weijia Zhou¹, Shigen Ye², Zhixin Guo³

Affiliations

¹ College of Fisheries and Life Science, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian 116023, China; Quatic Animal Hospital, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian 116023, China.
² College of Fisheries and Life Science, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian 116023, China; Quatic Animal Hospital, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian 116023, China. Electronic address: shgye@dlou.edu.cn.
³ College of Fisheries and Life Science, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian 116023, China; Quatic Animal Hospital, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian 116023, China. Electronic address: guozhixin@dlou.edu.cn.

PMID: 40561844
DOI: 10.1016/j.cbd.2025.101570

Abstract

Vibrio harveyi is the main pathogen causing significant economic losses in Takifugu rubripes farming. The early immune response to V. harveyi infection in T. rubripes was investigated using Illumina NovaSeq 6000 technology. A total of 4720 differentially expressed genes were identified in the gill transcriptome at 0, 3, and 24 h post-infection compared to the control group. Pathways associated with mucosal immunity, such as cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, cell adhesion molecules (CAMs), and the NOD-like receptor signaling pathway, were significantly enriched. Specifically, the results implied the cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction pathway is crucial in mediating immune responses. The cooperative interplay between Ccr7 and Cxcl13 may enhance pathogen resistance during the early mucosal immune phase in T. rubripes. These findings provide valuable insights into the early mucosal immune response to V. harveyi infection in T. rubripes.

Keywords: Gill; Mucosal immunity; Takifugu rubripes; Transcriptome analysis; Vibrio harveyi.