Determining transcriptomic response of kidneys of olive flounder to viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus infection using next-generation sequencing

Abstract

Viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) in olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) causes considerable economic losses in the flounder aquaculture industry in Korea. This study was aimed to identify the immune-associated genes contributing to VHSV infection progression in the kidneys of the olive flounder. Ten fish were divided into two groups via an intraperitoneal injection with either diethylpyrocarbonate-treated water or 106 50% tissue culture infective dose VHSV 100 μL−1 fish−1. At 24 h post-infection, kidney tissues were used for RNA sequencing to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The upregulated DEGs in the VHSV group included many genes linked to interleukins, chemokines, interferons and immune cell types. Functional enrichment analysis indicated that VHSV infection broadly affects the host metabolism and innate immune responses in the olive flounder. The present study provides a theoretical basis for the molecular mechanisms of VHSV that can be further explored in future studies.