Characteristic Muscle Quality Parameters of Male Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides) Distinguished from Female and Physiological Variations Revealed by Transcriptome Profiling.

Wang, Qingchun; Lu, Siqi; Tao, Yifan; Hua, Jixiang; Zhuge, Yan; Chen, Wenhua; Qiang, Jun

Simple Summary: Female largemouth bass grow faster than males; hence, females are often favored for aquaculture. We analyzed the muscle characteristics of male largemouth bass in terms of nutrient contents, texture, and gene transcription. We found that the muscles of male largemouth bass have a unique amino acid and fatty acid profile and contain more collagen than female muscles. Furthermore, pathways related to immunity were enhanced in the muscles of males. We concluded that the muscles of male largemouth bass exhibit distinctive nutritional and textural characteristics and show enhanced disease resistance; thus, they have potential value as a product in their own right. Male largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) are often overlooked because females grow faster. We explored the value of male largemouth bass by comparing muscle nutrition, texture, and transcriptomes between males and females. Females grew faster than males (p < 0.05) because of lipid accumulation. Male fish muscles had higher contents of serine, valine, methionine, arginine, nervonic acid, and α-linolenic acid (p < 0.05), and female fish muscles had higher contents of aspartic acid, glycine, cysteine, leucine, palmitic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, and 11,14,17-eicosatrienoic acid (p < 0.05). Male muscles had a higher concentration of collagen fibers and greater shear force, indicative of a chewier texture. Male muscles had a lighter color, suggesting that they were less susceptible to oxidation and deterioration. Transcriptomic analyses revealed upregulation of lpl, sadb, dgat2, bhmt, tecrb, and hsd3b7, encoding components of amino acid and fatty acid metabolism; and upregulation of akt2, src, and kras, encoding crucial regulators of cellular immunity and homeostasis, in male muscles. Immunity-related pathways, including apoptosis, ErbB signaling, and cellular senescence, were enriched in male fish muscles, indicating heightened immune function. The muscles of male fish have a unique profile and distinctive advantages in terms of nutrition, flavor, texture, and transcriptional regulation.

FATTY acid analysis; LARGEMOUTH bass; ASPARTIC acid; PALMITIC acid; FATTY acids

Biology (2079-7737), 2024, Vol 13, Issue 12, p1029

2079-7737

Academic Journal

10.3390/biology13121029