Identification of Genes and SNPs Related to Body Colors by Transcriptome Profiling in Leopard Coral Grouper (Plectropomus leopardus Lacépède)

Body colors are an important trait for the survival and reproduction of animals. In this study, transcriptomes and related single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of black- and red-colored Plectropomus leopardus (Lacépède) were identified to investigate important molecules and SNP markers associated with body color formation. In the comparison of red- and black-colored groups, 489 differential expressed genes (DEGs) were detected and among them, 236 up- and 253 down-regulated genes were found in the red-colored group. Gene ontology (GO) analysis of DEGs showed that pigmentation associated terms including pigment granule, pigmentation, melanin metabolic process, tyrosine metabolic process, pigment metabolic process, and pigmentation cell differentiation were enriched. Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) analysis of DEGs presented that melanin related pathways (tyrosine metabolism and melanogenesis) were enriched. Furthermore, lipid metabolism and immune-related metabolism were also enriched. A total of 1,048,575 SNPs were detected from the transcriptome, and among them, 627,172 SNPs were located in the gene region. A total of 1323 SNPs were identified as differential SNPs in the comparison of black- and red-colored groups and were located in 1127 genes. Among the 1127 genes, 20 genes were identified as DEGs and were comprised of 9 SNPs with a potential role in body color selective breeding in fish farming.