Comparative transcriptomic analysis of the liver and spleen in marbled rockfish (Sebastiscus marmoratus) challenged with polyriboinosinic polyribocytidylic acid (poly(I:C))

Marbled rockfish ( Sebastiscus marmoratus ) is a common coastal fish in China with considerable market value. The artificial culture of this species has not been widely popularized, and there have been few research on its vaccine or immune adjuvant. In this study, we performed transcriptome analysis of marbled rockfish spleen and liver tissue samples at 12 and 48 h after the polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly(I:C)) challenge. Compared with the control group, 1067 and 598 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in the spleen and liver, respectively. GO, and KEGG enrichment analyses of DEGs revealed that some immune-related biological processes and pathways were significantly changed after poly(I:C) treatment, including primary immunodeficiency, the NF-kappa B signaling pathway, the Jak-STAT signaling pathway, and the PPAR signaling pathway. In conclusion, the findings of this research provide new insights into the immune response of marbled rockfish against poly(I:C) at the transcriptome level, and enrich the theoretical basis for the development of its immune adjuvant. • Transcriptome changes of the spleen and liver of marbled rockfish stimulated by poly(I:C) were detected using RNA-seq. • Differentially expressed genes were identified based on bioinformatics methods. • Gene annotation and functional analysis of DEGs revealed immune-related signaling pathways with significant enrichment. • This study would promote the understanding of the antiviral immune response mechanism of marbled rockfish.