AUTHOR=Li Zhujun , Gao Tianxiang , Han Zhiqiang TITLE=RNA-seq and Analysis of Argyrosomus japonicus Under Different Salinities JOURNAL=Frontiers in Marine Science VOLUME=Volume 8 - 2021 YEAR=2021 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.790065 DOI=10.3389/fmars.2021.790065 ISSN=2296-7745 ABSTRACT=Salinity variation has important effects on the physiological processes of fish. The transcriptome of the gill tissue of Argyrosomus japonicus was analyzed to investigate the significantly differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of A. japonicus under salinity changes. By transcriptome analysis of nine samples, a total of 55.873 GB of clean data, 64,912 transcripts, and 29,567 unigenes were obtained, and 83.62% of the transcripts and 81.89% of the unigenes were annotated. Compared with the control group, the high- and low-salt groups showed 1,731 and 695 DEGs, respectively. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis showed that DEGs were significantly enriched in transportation, metabolism, and stress response. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment revealed that DEGs were significantly enriched in some signaling pathways. Several key genes (KRT1, KRT2, ATP1A, LDH, PFN, ACTB_G1, TUBB, GZMB, MHC2, CCL19, EPX, ANXA5, ACBP, EHF, BHMT, COL1A, and RHOA) were found to be related to salinity adaptation. When environmental salinity fluctuated, genes related to stress, immunity, ion transport, and metabolism became more sensitive. These results showed that the adaptation of A. japonicus under salinity changes may be a complex process, with multiple genes acting together.