Transcriptomic Analysis of the Hepatopancreas Induced by Eyestalk-Ablation in Shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei

Abstract

Although eyestalk ablation (ESA) is currently known as the most effective method to facilitate molting and maturation, physiological responses as its effect are still not clearly explained in decapod crustaceans. In this study, we analyzed the hepatopancreatic transcriptomes of Litopenaeus vannamei after ESA using Illumina Miseq platform. After screening 53,029 contigs with high cut-off values (fold change>

10

; P-value <0.05; RPKM>1), we were able to obtain the reliable 105 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Among them, 100 DEGs were up-regulated, whereas the other 5 were down-regulated. KEGG pathway analysis showed that several DEGs were involved in the glycerol synthesis and trehalose synthesis pathways, which is the major stress-response pathways. In addition, we classified the DEGs into four categories; immunity, cellular trafficking, transcriptional regulation, and molting and maturation. Most of DEGs categorized as immunity were involved in the proPO activation system, which is the major immune system in arthropods. Several DEGs involved in molting and maturation and cellular trafficking, which means in Litopenaus vannamei ESA is not only induced the molting and maturation, but also emerge effect in stress and immune responses.