Han Lingshu, Hao Pengfei, Xiao Haoran, Li Weiyan, Fan Yichen, Tian Wanrong, Tian Ye, Wang Luo, Chang Yaqing, Ding Jun
Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Northern Aquatic Germplasm Resources and Genetics and Breeding, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian 116023, China.
Key Laboratory of Mariculture and Stock Enhancement in North China's Sea, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian 116023, China.
Biology (Basel). 2025 Jul 17;14(7):873. doi: 10.3390/biology14070873.
The mismatch between the rapid expansion of breeding scale and outdated techniques has hindered the development of the sea cucumber () industry. Our previous work revealed that ecological seedling breeding can produce red-colored , a phenotype not observed in traditional artificial breeding, where individuals are typically green. To investigate the molecular and genetic basis of this novel red coloration, we compared the growth conditions of red sea cucumbers and green sea cucumbers, as well as the differences in the pigment composition, gene expression and metabolites of their body walls. Red individuals showed higher body length and weight, and elevated levels of astaxanthin, lutein, canthaxanthin, and β-carotene in the body wall. Transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses identified differentially expressed genes and metabolites associated with pigmentation. In particular, and , involved in the cytochrome P450 drug metabolism pathway, were significantly upregulated in red individuals and are known to play roles in pigment biosynthesis and light signal perception. Key metabolites such as astaxanthin and fucoxanthin were implicated in body color formation. Moreover, genes in the arachidonic acid metabolism pathway were highly expressed, suggesting that dietary factors may contribute to pigment synthesis and accumulation. These findings provide novel insights into the mechanisms underlying body color variation in and offer potential for improved breeding strategies.
养殖规模的快速扩张与过时技术之间的不匹配阻碍了海参养殖业的发展。我们之前的研究表明，生态育苗能够培育出红色海参，这是传统人工养殖中未出现过的表型，传统人工养殖的海参个体通常为绿色。为了探究这种新型红色的分子和遗传基础，我们比较了红色海参和绿色海参的生长状况，以及它们体壁中色素组成、基因表达和代谢物的差异。红色个体的体长和体重更大，体壁中虾青素、叶黄素、角黄素和β-胡萝卜素的含量也更高。转录组学和代谢组学分析确定了与色素沉着相关的差异表达基因和代谢物。特别是参与细胞色素P450药物代谢途径的基因和，在红色个体中显著上调，已知它们在色素生物合成和光信号感知中发挥作用。虾青素和岩藻黄质等关键代谢物与体色形成有关。此外，花生四烯酸代谢途径中的基因高度表达，表明饮食因素可能有助于色素的合成和积累。这些发现为海参体色变异的潜在机制提供了新的见解，并为改进育种策略提供了可能。
