Chu Xin, Chen Jing, Lin Lingyun, Yao Jiayun, Huang Lei, Gao Mingyue, Shen Jinyu, Pan Xiaoyi
National Demonstration Center for Experimental Fisheries Science Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, China.
Agriculture Ministry Key Laboratory of Healthy Freshwater Aquaculture, Key Laboratory of Fish Health and Nutrition of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Institute of Freshwater Fisheries, Huzhou, China.
J Fish Dis. 2025 May;48(5):e14086. doi: 10.1111/jfd.14086. Epub 2025 Feb 4.
The largemouth bass virus (LMBV) significantly impacts Chinese largemouth bass aquaculture. The molecular mechanisms regulating LMBV virulence and the gene responses stimulated in the host during infection remain unclear. This study investigates the transcriptional dynamics and signalling pathways activated during the immune response to LMBV by analysing the transcriptome of head kidney tissues at 1, 4, 7, and 28 days post-infection (dpi) using RNA sequencing. Histopathological and viral load analyses indicated early tissue disruption, followed by extensive recovery by 28 dpi. Analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), combined with Venn analysis of samples at 1, 4, and 7 dpi, identified significant and common genes. Early infection triggered robust innate immunity through activation of the RIG-I like receptor and cGAS-STING signalling pathways, which activated type I interferons (IFNs) and interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs). Later stages indicated activation of adaptive immune responses. Validation of randomly selected genes via RT-qPCR confirmed the RNA-seq results, showing consistent expression patterns. This comprehensive study offers new insights into the sustained innate and adaptive immune responses to LMBV.
大口黑鲈病毒（LMBV）对中国大口黑鲈养殖业产生了重大影响。调节LMBV毒力的分子机制以及感染期间宿主中刺激的基因反应仍不清楚。本研究通过使用RNA测序分析感染后1、4、7和28天（dpi）头部肾脏组织的转录组，研究了对LMBV免疫反应期间激活的转录动态和信号通路。组织病理学和病毒载量分析表明早期组织破坏，随后在28 dpi时广泛恢复。差异表达基因（DEG）分析和加权基因共表达网络分析（WGCNA），结合1、4和7 dpi样本的维恩分析，确定了显著且常见的基因。早期感染通过激活RIG-I样受体和cGAS-STING信号通路触发强大的先天免疫，这激活了I型干扰素（IFN）和干扰素刺激基因（ISG）。后期表明适应性免疫反应被激活。通过RT-qPCR对随机选择的基因进行验证，证实了RNA-seq结果，显示出一致的表达模式。这项全面的研究为对LMBV的持续先天和适应性免疫反应提供了新的见解。
