Gut microbiome-metabolome profiling reveals divergent growth performance in the spotted knifejaw (Oplegnathus punctatus).

Authors

Chao Ma, Chunxiu Chen, Xiaodi Shang, Yaoxin Wang, Houfu Liu, Yanguang Yu, Qunshan Wang, Xuehui Wang, Lei Jia, Shuang Liang

Published in

Scientific reports. Volume 16. Issue 1. Apr 24, 2026. Epub Apr 24, 2026.

Abstract

Growth divergence in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) compromises production efficiency, yet gut microbiome–metabolome correlations linked to this variation in the spotted knifejaw (Oplegnathus punctatus) remain unclear. To explore such associations, we analyzed intestinal microbiota and metabolites in pooled samples from fast-growing (FGC) and slow-growing (SGC) groups (n = 5 per group) after 6 months of RAS rearing. FGC showed significantly higher body weight (P < 0.05), lower microbial alpha diversity and beta dispersion, and was dominated by Proteobacteria (> 75%). SGC exhibited higher diversity and enrichment of Firmicutes, Bacteroidota, and Actinobacteriota. LEfSe (LDA score > 4.0) identified Photobacterium and Cetobacterium as taxa enriched in FGC, while Lactobacillus, Weissella, and Pediococcus were enriched in SGC. Metabolomic analysis identified 251 metabolites that were differentially abundant between FGC and SGC groups. In FGC, histamine, pyridoxine, and 6-hydroxyhexanoate showed significantly increased abundance, while microcystin LR and uracil showed decreased abundance (P < 0.05). KEGG pathway enrichment analysis indicated significant associations with protein digestion and absorption, ABC transporters, and aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis pathways. Correlation analysis revealed significant positive associations between FGC-enriched genera and metabolites potentially associated with growth performance. This study characterizes gut microbiome–metabolome correlation patterns associated with growth divergence in O. punctatus. Due to the small sample size and pooled sampling design, these findings represent exploratory observations that require validation in larger, individually-sampled cohorts before any functional interpretations or practical applications can be considered.

PMID:
42032033
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 12 Jul 2026.

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