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Genome-Wide Characterization of Aquaporins (aqps) in Lateolabrax maculatus: Evolution and Expression Patterns During Freshwater Acclimation

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Abstract

Aquaporin (aqp) proteins are a group of small integral membrane proteins that play crucial roles as pore channels for the transport of water and other small solutes across the cell membrane. In our study, we identified 17 aqp genes from the spotted sea bass (Lateolabrax maculatus) genomic database. Gene organization, motif distribution, and selection pressure analyses were performed to investigate their evolutionary characteristics. The aqp mRNA displayed tissue-specific expression pattern in ten selected tissues of healthy spotted sea bass. To investigate the potential involvement of spotted sea bass aqps in osmoregulation, the expression profiles of aqp genes in gills were examined during freshwater (FW) acclimation using qRT-PCR. The mRNA level of aqp3a was dramatically induced during 1–3 day of the FW transition period (77-fold and 15-fold upregulated on 1 day and 3 day than in the control group), indicating that aqp3a may play an important hypo-osmoregulatory role in spotted sea bass. In addition, the expression levels of aqp1aa, aqp1ab, aqp3b, aqp7, and aqp9b increased to various degrees at 1 day after transferring to FW, suggesting their potential involvement in the FW acclimation process. Our study provides a valuable foundation for future studies aimed at uncovering the specific roles of aqp genes during salinity acclimation in spotted sea bass and other teleost species.

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Funding

This work was supported by China Agriculture Research System (CARS-47) and Advanced Talents Foundation of QAU grant (663/1120022).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Marine Science and Engineering, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, 266109, China

    Xiaoyan Zhang, Qiang Fu & Chao Li

  2. The Key Laboratory of Mariculture, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China), Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China

    Peng Yu, Haishen Wen, Xin Qi, Yuan Tian, Kaiqiang Zhang & Yun Li

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  1. Xiaoyan Zhang
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  4. Xin Qi
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Correspondence to Chao Li.

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Zhang, X., Yu, P., Wen, H. et al. Genome-Wide Characterization of Aquaporins (aqps) in Lateolabrax maculatus: Evolution and Expression Patterns During Freshwater Acclimation. Mar Biotechnol 23, 696–709 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10126-021-10057-0

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