The potential roles of fatty acid metabolism-related genes in Manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum under cold stress.

Temperature is an important factor that affects geographic distribution, reproduction, and physiological processes of organisms. In this study, we used quantitative PCR to analyze the effects of low temperature stress (5 °C and − 2 °C) on the expression of fatty acid metabolism-related genes in different tissues of two wild populations(southern and northern) and three shell color strains (zebra, white, and white zebra) of the Manila clam, Ruditapes philippinarum. We found that fatty acid synthase-related genes were expressed in all examined tissues (gill, mantle, adductor muscle, gonad, digestive gland, foot, and siphon), with the highest expression level in the digestive gland and gills. The fatty acid metabolism-related genes acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), elongation of very long chain fatty acids protein 6 (ELOVL6), fatty acid desaturase (FAD) ,and fatty acid synthase-like (FAS) were highly expressed in the northern clams, and the expression levels differed significantly between the northern population and the zebra strain (P < 0.05). Our results provided useful information about the response of fatty acid metabolism-related genes in Manila clams to low temperature stress, which could be helpful for improving the cold stress resistance of these clams in the aquaculture industry. • Expression levels of fatty acid genes were profiled in different kinds of R. philippinarum under low temperature. • The expression of fatty acid genes and the changes in fatty acid profiles were analyzed in Manila clam under low temperature. • The results provide important clues for further research on the overwintering mechanism of shellfish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]