ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Mar. Sci.
Sec. Aquatic Physiology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmars.2025.1604207
This article is part of the Research TopicPhysiological Regulation in Species Infections: Investigating Pathogen-Host Dynamics and Stress Responses in Aquatic OrganismsView all 3 articles
Deciphering the transcriptomic and lncRNA landscape of gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) in response to Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida infection
Provisionally accepted
- Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
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The gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) is a key species in European aquaculture, but its production is threatened by infectious diseases, including photobacteriosis caused by Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida (Phdp). This bacterial pathogen leads to high mortality, particularly in larvae and juveniles, and poses a significant challenge due to rising antibiotic resistance and the limited efficacy of vaccines in early developmental stages. Despite extensive research into Phdp virulence factors, the immune mechanisms in gilthead sea bream remain poorly understood. In this study, we conducted the first RNA-Seq analysis of Phdp-infected gilthead sea bream to characterize the immune response at 24 hours post-infection (hpi). We examined the expression of both coding genes and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the head kidney and intestine. Our findings revealed a robust immune response, particularly in the head kidney, characterized by significant modulation of genes involved in complement and coagulation cascades, iron metabolism, pathogen recognition, antigen presentation, inflammation and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and detoxification, among others. These results provide novel insights into the complex immune response of gilthead sea bream to Phdp and highlight the potential involvement of lncRNAs in modulating immune pathways. This lays the foundation for future research on host-pathogen interactions, which could support the development of preventive and control strategies for disease management, such as selective breeding for disease resistance, vaccine development, or host-derived alternatives to antibiotics.
Keywords: Transcriptome, lncRNAs, Gilthead sea bream, Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida, immune response
Received: 01 Apr 2025; Accepted: 20 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Pereiro, Figueras and Novoa. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Patricia Pereiro, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
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