Transcriptomic profiling reveals dynamic immune responses and potential immune evasion strategies of Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida in spotted sea bass (Lateolabrax maculatus).

Authors

Jian Zhang, Dandan Zhou, Yan Gao, Chenxi Shi, Xuepeng Li

Published in

Developmental and comparative immunology. Pages 105688. Jul 17, 2026. Epub Jul 17, 2026.

Abstract

Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida (Pdp) is characterized by its broad distribution and is capable of infecting numerous cultured fish species. A previous study revealed the epidemic of Pdp in Lateolabrax maculatus with high mortality. In the current study, comparative transcriptome analysis was carried out on the spleens of L. maculatus infected with Pdp at 6, 12, and 24 hours post infection (hpi). The results demonstrated that compared with unchallenged individuals, Pdp infection resulted in 1631, 2085 and 2085 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) being detected at 6, 12 and 24 hpi, respectively. Among these, immune-related DEGs exhibited a trend of first increasing and then decreasing, particularly those involved in pattern recognition receptors, antigen processing and presentation, and inflammatory factors. In addition to terms related to immune system processes, GO enrichment analysis also identified terms related to signal transduction, metabolic processes, catalytic activity, and molecular function regulation. In KEGG enrichment analysis, numerous immune-related pathways were significantly enriched, such as the TNF signaling, NF-κB signaling, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, pattern recognition receptor, and natural killer cell mediated cytotoxicity. Subsequent weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) uncovered immune-related pathways that were positively correlated at 6 and 12 hpi, and negatively correlated at 24 hpi, especially identified transcriptional trends suggesting Pdp may interfere with phagosome maturation and reduce endocytosis/autophagy-related gene expression at late infection stage. This study identified multiple immune-related genes and pathways that are dynamically regulated and potentially regulated by Pdp, which may contribute to its immune evasion and colonization in spotted sea bass. These findings provide new insights into the molecular immune mechanisms against Pdp infection and establish a basis for further studies on antibacterial defense in L. maculatus.

PMID:
42468660
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 18 Jul 2026.

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