Comparative skin transcriptome of two Oujiang color common carp (Cyprinus carpio var. color) varieties.

Body color variation has long been a hot research topic in evolutionary and functional biology. Oujiang color common carp (Cyprinus carpio var. color) is a well-known economical and ornamental fish. Three main types of pigments and four distinct color patterns are typical characters of Oujiang color common carp, which makes it an excellent fish model to study body coloration. In this study, skin transcriptome assembly and comparisons were conducted in two Oujiang color common carp varieties: whole red and whole white. Transcriptome comparison revealed that more differentially expressed energy metabolism genes were upregulated in whole white compared to whole red. The results indicated that energy metabolism genes might be strongly associated with environmental adaption and growth performance and likely affect the red and white color formation in Oujiang color common carp. Our study provided direct guidance for the aquaculture industrials of Oujiang color common carp and presented valuable genetic resources for body color research in fish.