Characterization of differentially expressed genes in liver in response to the rearing temperature of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss and their heritable differences.

To characterize thermal-responsive genes in fish, firstly, juvenile rainbow trout were reared in four different temperature conditions (average temperatures were 10, 14, 18, and 22 °C, respectively) and differentially expressed genes were identified. Gene expression in the liver was analyzed by the differential display method, followed by validation using real-time PCR. Subsequently, to examine whether the identified genes show heritable differences, the gene expression levels were compared among juveniles of three genetically distinct lines of rainbow trout (a strain and two closed colonies) by rearing at two different temperature conditions (average 14 and 22 °C). By rearing at 22 °C, growth retardation was observed compared with fish reared at 14 and 18 °C, and six genes were identified as differentially expressed genes in response to the rearing temperature in the gene expression analyses. With the increase in rearing temperature, gene expressions of a complement C1q and two ribosomal proteins were significantly up-regulated. On the other hand, three metabolic genes (betaine homocysteine methyltransferase, triosephosphate isomerase, and glucose-6-phosphatase) were down-regulated, indicating a metabolic depression due to high temperature. In the subsequent analyses, in response to the rearing temperature (14 and 22 °C), there was a trend that the complement C1q and glucose-6-phosphatase genes showed different expression patterns among the three rainbow trout lines, suggesting heritable differences in these genes. Our study provides information on thermal-responsive genes in fish, and we anticipate it will facilitate further investigation in the thermal biology of fish.