Chen Che-Chun, Chen Yu-Ping, Yang Hsiao-Tsu, Chen Yu-Ling, Wu Chen-Wei, Gong Hong-Yi, Ho Yuan-Shing, Ho Ying-Ning
Institute of Marine Biology, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, Taiwan.
Taiwan Ocean Genome Center, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, Taiwan.
Anim Microbiome. 2025 May 14;7(1):49. doi: 10.1186/s42523-025-00417-9.
In recent years, rising temperatures due to climate change have become significant stressors in aquatic environments, impacting disease incidence, growth, and gut microbiota in fish. Cold-water species, such as the olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus), are particularly vulnerable to increasing water temperatures. Despite its economic importance as a species farmed in East Asia, research on temperature-dependent shifts in the gut microbiota and metabolome of olive flounder remains limited. This study investigates the effects of water temperature on the gut microbiota and metabolome of olive flounder using full-length 16 S rRNA sequencing with Oxford Nanopore Technologies and metabolomics analysis with high-resolution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The analysis compares individuals exposed to three water temperatures (18 °C, 22 °C, and 26 °C).
Temperature significantly influenced the composition of gut microbiota, with an increase in Gammaproteobacteria abundance at higher temperatures. Potential pathogens such as Vibrio and Photobacterium increased from 22 °C to 26 °C, while Pseudomonas declined, suggesting an elevated risk of pathogen infection at 26 °C. Functional predictions revealed that gut bacteria regulated host metabolism, particularly carbohydrate, amino acid, and lipid pathways. Metabolomic analysis showed reduced levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and phosphatidylcholine (PC)-related metabolites at higher temperatures. Notably, the umami flavor-related compound aspartic acid decreased, while the bitter flavor-related compound phenylalanine increased. Correlation analysis identified significant associations between bacterial genera, such as Comamonas,Pseudomonas,Sphingomonas, and Stentotrophomonas (positive correlation), and Legionella and Phaeobacter (negative correlation), with shifts in PUFAs and PC metabolites.
This study demonstrates that environmental temperature significantly affects the gut microbiota and muscle metabolites of olive flounder. Higher temperatures diversified gut bacterial communities and altered metabolite profiles, with reductions in PUFAs and PC-related compounds linked to specific bacterial genera. These findings highlight the potential of these bacterial genera as biomarkers or probiotics for improving aquaculture practices and environmental adaptation strategies. By establishing a strong correlation between gut microbiota and muscle metabolites, this research provides insights that could contribute to sustainable flounder farming and enhance resilience to climate change.
近年来，气候变化导致的水温上升已成为水生环境中的重要应激源，影响鱼类的疾病发病率、生长和肠道微生物群。冷水物种，如牙鲆（Paralichthys olivaceus），尤其容易受到水温升高的影响。尽管牙鲆作为东亚养殖的重要经济鱼类，但关于其肠道微生物群和代谢组随温度变化的研究仍然有限。本研究利用牛津纳米孔技术的全长16S rRNA测序和高分辨率液相色谱 - 质谱联用（LC - MS）代谢组学分析，研究水温对牙鲆肠道微生物群和代谢组的影响。该分析比较了暴露于三种水温（18°C、22°C和26°C）下的个体。
温度显著影响肠道微生物群的组成，高温下γ-变形菌门丰度增加。弧菌属和发光杆菌属等潜在病原体从22°C到26°C增加，而假单胞菌属减少，表明在26°C时病原体感染风险升高。功能预测显示肠道细菌调节宿主代谢，特别是碳水化合物、氨基酸和脂质途径。代谢组学分析表明，高温下多不饱和脂肪酸（PUFA）和磷脂酰胆碱（PC）相关代谢物水平降低。值得注意的是，鲜味相关化合物天冬氨酸减少，而苦味相关化合物苯丙氨酸增加。相关性分析确定了Comamonas、Pseudomonas、Sphingomonas和Stentotrophomonas等细菌属（正相关）与军团菌属和海杆菌属（负相关）之间与PUFA和PC代谢物变化的显著关联。
本研究表明环境温度显著影响牙鲆的肠道微生物群和肌肉代谢物。较高温度使肠道细菌群落多样化并改变代谢物谱，PUFA和PC相关化合物的减少与特定细菌属有关。这些发现突出了这些细菌属作为生物标志物或益生菌改善水产养殖实践和环境适应策略的潜力。通过建立肠道微生物群与肌肉代谢物之间的强相关性，本研究提供了有助于牙鲆可持续养殖并增强对气候变化适应能力的见解。
