Yasuike Motoshige, Hasegawa Natsuki, Nakamura Yoji, Hongo Yuki, Fukui Youhei, Abe Mahiko, Murase Noboru
Bioinformatics and Biosciences Division, Fisheries Stock Assessment Center, Fisheries Resources Institute, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, 2-12-4 Fuku-Ura, Kanazawa, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 236-8648, Japan.
Kushiro Field Station, Fisheries Resources Institute, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, 116 Katsurakoi, Kushiro, Hokkaido, 085-0802, Japan.
Mar Biotechnol (NY). 2025 May 9;27(3):83. doi: 10.1007/s10126-025-10461-w.
The cultivation of the red alga Pyropia (nori) is among the most significant aquaculture industries in East Asia. Nutrient deficiency-induced "discoloration" poses a serious threat to the industry, substantially impacting both harvest quality and production levels. In this study, we conducted transcriptome analysis (RNA-Seq) of P. yezoensis to gain deeper insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying physiological responses to nutrient limitation that lead to discoloration. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis estimated that under nutrient-rich conditions, pathways involved in photosynthesis (carbon fixation) and respiration (tricarboxylic acid [TCA] cycle and glycolysis) are more activated. In contrast, under nutrient-deficient conditions, upregulation of genes related to the uptake of external substances and stress response was observed. Additionally, seven genes (ant1-2, pup, drg2, ankrd, bckdha, lhcb, and an unknown gene) identified from the RNA-Seq results as potential discoloration markers were successfully validated through RT-qPCR analysis. The fundamental molecular insights into discoloration in P. yezoensis provided by this study will aid in developing future discoloration prediction methods and breeding discoloration-resistant Pyropia varieties.
红藻紫菜（海苔）的养殖是东亚最重要的水产养殖业之一。营养缺乏导致的“变色”对该产业构成严重威胁，极大地影响了收获质量和产量水平。在本研究中，我们对条斑紫菜进行了转录组分析（RNA测序），以更深入地了解导致变色的营养限制生理反应的分子机制。京都基因与基因组百科全书（KEGG）通路富集分析估计，在营养丰富的条件下，参与光合作用（碳固定）和呼吸作用（三羧酸循环和糖酵解）的通路更活跃。相比之下，在营养缺乏的条件下，观察到与外部物质吸收和应激反应相关的基因上调。此外，通过RT-qPCR分析成功验证了从RNA测序结果中鉴定出的七个基因（ant1-2、pup、drg2、ankrd、bckdha、lhcb和一个未知基因）作为潜在的变色标记。本研究提供的对条斑紫菜变色的基本分子见解将有助于开发未来的变色预测方法和培育抗变色紫菜品种。
