Comparative Transcriptome Analysis of Orbital Fat Reveals Stage-Specific Gene Expression Associated with Growth Variation in Bighead Carp (<i>Hypophthalmichthys nobilis</i>)

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

Bighead carp ( Hypophthalmichthys nobilis ) is a key aquaculture species, with the head and its orbital fat being a commercially valuable product. To elucidate the molecular basis of growth variation, we performed comparative transcriptome analysis of orbital fat from extreme growth phenotypes at juvenile (6 months) and market-size (18 months) stages. In juveniles, slow growth was linked to upregulation of stress-responsive genes ( sgk1 , fkbp5 , lipg ), while fast growth correlated with higher expression of stress-buffering ( crhbp ) and nutrient-signaling ( rbp2 , mgea5 ) genes. At 18 months, divergent growth aligned with opposing lipid metabolic states: a pro-anabolic profile ( dgat2 , fads2 ) supported fast growth, whereas a catabolic profile ( cpt1b , ppargc1a ) was associated with slow growth. These results demonstrate stage-specific transcriptional reprogramming in orbital fat underlying growth variation. This study provides a molecular framework for orbital fat-mediated growth regulation and highlights potential candidate genes for molecular breeding in bighead carp.

Evidence level

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

Browse all related research

Filter the research library by this study's title keywords, author, or publication year.