Salinity acclimation induces hepatic immune-redox remodeling and intestinal mucosal adaptation in Nile tilapia: insights from multi-tissue transcriptomics and gut microbiota profiling.

Authors

Ya-Xin Wang, Pichayapa Meekuan, Zhuo-Hang Feng, Shuang-Yue Luo, Zhao Li, Zheng-Xiang Zhang, Noratat Prachom, Xueweijie Chen, Zhi-Shuai Hou

Published in

Fish physiology and biochemistry. Volume 52. Issue 6. Nov 11, 2026. Epub Nov 11, 2026.

Abstract

Salinity fluctuation is a major challenge in aquaculture and can influence immune homeostasis and host-microbiota interactions in fish. However, the coordinated responses of multiple organs and their association with intestinal microbiota remain incompletely understood. Here, Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) were exposed to 0, 16, and 30 ppt salinity, and multi-tissue transcriptomics of the brain, intestine, and liver were integrated with hepatic antioxidant indices and intestinal microbiota profiling to investigate systemic adaptation mechanisms. Salinity exposure induced marked tissue-specific transcriptional remodeling. In the brain, differentially expressed genes were enriched in MAPK, calcium, and GnRH signaling pathways, indicating transcriptional modulation of neuroendocrine- and stress-related signaling. In the intestine, salinity mainly affected ATP metabolism, ion homeostasis, DNA replication, and cellular stress responses, indicating mucosal metabolic adjustment and stress adaptation. In the liver, high salinity enriched genes related to oxidative stress, immune processes, antigen processing and presentation, and ion homeostasis, accompanied by increased SOD and CAT activities and reduced MDA levels, indicating pronounced hepatic immunometabolic-related transcriptional responses and redox-related responses during salinity acclimation. In parallel, salinity altered intestinal microbiota structure, characterized by changes in Firmicutes, Planctomycetota, and Cetobacterium, and predicted microbial functions related to metabolism and transport. Correlation analysis further linked dominant microbial genera with host antioxidant, immune, and metabolic indicators. These findings indicate that salinity acclimation in Nile tilapia involves coordinated but tissue-specific physiological responses, characterized by intestinal metabolic and epithelial stress adaptation, hepatic immune-redox remodeling, and brain neuroendocrine-related transcriptional modulation. The salinity-responsive microbial features identified here may serve as candidate indicators of host acclimation status.

PMID:
43013161
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 12 Nov 2026.

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