Primary study on differentially expressed genes screening of Monopterus albus and their regulation mechanism

In order to reveal the regulatory mechanism of growth related genes in eels (Monopterus albus), we carried out a transcriptome sequencing analysis on the liver of the eels that had significant growth difference with the same parent. A total of 19 149 genes were obtained by transcriptome sequencing, among which 598 were differentially expressed (303 and 295 were significantly up-regulated and down-regulated, respectively). KEGG pathway analysis shows that 598 differentially expressed genes belonged to 262 pathways, among which 38 pathways are significantly enriched. The GO functional annotation reveals that the seven differentially related genes were col1α1, nkx6.1, nnos, plexina4, igfbp1, pcgf1and h3.3, and variation in the expression levels of these genes had regulated the development and physiological activities of the nervous system, endocrine system and digestive system of the eels, which then affected their growth. Combined with KEGG pathway analysis, it is found that the leishmaniasis pathway, in which col1α1 is located, and the arginine and proline metabolic pathway, in which nnos is located, are significantly enriched, revealing their important influence on the growth of eels.