Transcriptome analysis revealed changes in multiple genes in Larimichthys crocea under starvation stress

To identify important functional genes of the large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea) under starvation stress, the expression changes of genes in muscles tissue of fish fasted for 0, 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20 d were analyzed with RNA-seq technology. Sequencing results showed that a total of 507 million clean reads were generated. Totals of 662, 998, 1015, 1260, and 1122 of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained at 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20 d, respectively, using starvation 0 d as control. Gene ontology (GO) classification and analysis showed that DEGs could be classified into 42 categories of biological processes, cellular components, and molecular functions. Of these, DEGs are enriched in regulations such as metabolic process, cellular process and single-organism process. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis showed that DEGs involved a total of 22 pathways, eight of which were metabolic pathways. With fewer pathways enrichment entry in early starvation stages, but more pathways enrichment entry in late starvation stages (such as at 16 days of starvation), DEGs were significantly enriched in glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, biosynthesis of amino acids, carbon metabolism, fructose and mannose metabolism, methane metabolism and carbon fixation in photosynthetic organisms. After 20 days of starvation, DEGs began to be significantly enriched in the immune pathway, indicating that at this time, fish began to show an immunomodulatory response. This study systematically disclosed the changes of muscle tissue genes in large yellow croaker under starvation stress. The obtained results contribute to research on environmental stress in teleost fish.