Transcriptome analyses reveal differentially expressed genes associated with development of the palatal organ in bighead carp ( Hypophthalmichthys nobilis )

The palatal organ is a filter-feeding related organ and occupies a considerable proportion of the head of bighead carp ( Hypophthalmichthys nobilis ), a large cyprinid fish intensive aquaculture in Asia. In this study, we performed RNA-seq of the palatal organ during growth periods of two (M2), six (M6) and 15 (M15) months of age after hatching. The numbers of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were 1384, 481 and 1837 for M2 VS M6, M6 VS M15 and M2 VS M15 respectively. The following signaling pathways of energy metabolism and cytoskeleton function were enriched, including ECM-receptor interaction, Cardiac muscle contraction, Steroid biosynthesis and PPAR signaling pathway. Several members of collagen family ( col1a1, col2a1, col6a2, col6a3, col9a2 ), Laminin gamma 1 ( lamc1 ), integrin alpha 1 ( itga1 ), Fatty acid binding protein 2 ( fads2 ) and lipoprotein lipase ( lpl ), and Protein tyrosine kinase 7 ( Ptk7 ) are candidate genes for growth and development of basic tissues of the palatal organ. Furthermore, taste-related genes such as fgfrl1, fgf8a, fsta and notch1a were also identified, which may be involved in the development of taste buds of the palatal organ. The transcriptome data obtained in this study provide insights into the understanding functions and development mechanisms of palatal organ, and potential candidate genes that may be related to the genetic modulation of head size of bighead carp.