Jiajia Wang

The euryhaline shrimp Exopalaemon carinicauda is a valuable model for studying osmoregulation, yet the developmental establishment and spatial localization of its key ion-transport sites remain unclear. This study investigated the spatiotemporal expression of Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase (EcNKA), cytoplasmic carbonic anhydrase (EcCAc), and glycosylphosphatidylinositol-linked carbonic anhydrase (EcCAg) during early ontogeny and their subcellular responses to salinity and alkalinity stress in juvenile gills of E. carinicauda. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to detect the changes in mRNA expression of the three genes at different developmental stages, and immunohistochemistry was employed to determine the spatial localization of the corresponding three proteins. EcNKA and EcCAg mRNA expression peaked at zoea I, while EcCAc peaked at zoea III–IV. Immunostaining demonstrated a wide distribution of the three proteins across multiple tissues in early larvae, with a later restriction primarily to the gill and intestine. In gills, the EcNKA protein localized to septal cells, whereas EcCAc and EcCAg were located in pillar cells with distinct membrane polarities. Under low-salinity and high-alkalinity stress, transcriptional changes and protein-level responses of EcCAc and EcCAg were discordant. In addition, the protein location of EcCAc exhibited a translocation from the apical to the basolateral membrane, while EcCAg showed apical concentration under stress. These findings provide new insights into the ontogenetic establishment and subcellular plasticity of key ion-transport sites in E. carinicauda and help us to understand how euryhaline shrimp integrate developmental programming and saline–alkaline stress responses at both the mRNA and protein levels.

Greenhouse aquaculture is an increasingly advanced practice in shrimp farming. This study employs Life Cycle Costing (LCC) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to systematically evaluate the economic and environmental performance of greenhouse shrimp farming. Research data were collected from field surveys and enterprise production records to analyze the construction and farming processes of the aquaculture facilities. LCC analysis revealed that the life cycle cost was 3.56 USD kg⁻¹ shrimp. The construction cost of the greenhouse was 4.58 USD m⁻², with steel pipes and film materials being the dominant cost components. The total farming cost per cultivation cycle reached USD 3510.76 per greenhouse, of which feed (30.54%) and land rent (15.86%) were the primary expenses. This model achieved a net profit of USD 5.31 per m² per cycle and a cost-profit ratio of 60.47%, values which are significantly higher than those reported for the Indoor Super-Intensive Culture (ISIC) model. LCA results demonstrated that the environmental impact per kilogram of shrimp produced via greenhouse aquaculture was characterized by a global warming potential (GWP) of 3.279 kg CO₂ eq, an acidification potential (AP) of 0.369 kg SO₂ eq, and a eutrophication potential (EP) of 0.212 kg PO₄ equation Furthermore, the abiotic depletion potential (ADP) and human toxicity potential (HTP) were relatively low, at 0.002 kg Sb eq and 0.093 kg 1,4-DCB eq per kilogram of shrimp, respectively. The construction phase had the highest greenhouse gas emissions (GWP 1940.00 kg CO₂ eq), mainly due to the consumption of steel (steel pipes accounting for 71.6% of CO₂ emissions) and polymer materials. During the farming phase, the primary emissions per kilogram of shrimp produced were GWP (3.23 kg CO₂ eq), AP (0.27 kg SO₂ eq), and EP (0.212 kg PO₄ eq). The findings indicate that this greenhouse model possesses considerable advantages in balancing economic output and risk management, rendering it suitable for promotion in appropriate regions. Further reductions in cost and environmental impact can be achieved by optimizing building material selection, implementing precision feeding strategies, and improving the energy utilization structure. These measures will enhance the economic and environmental benefits of greenhouse shrimp farming and promote the green development of the entire aquaculture industry.

Optimizing economic and ecological performance is critical for sustainable shrimp farming. This study investigates the dynamic characteristics of economic benefits, optimal harvesting times, and the impacts of price and size on comprehensive benefits across five shrimp farming techniques: the indoor super‐intensive culture (ISIC), indoor super intensive recirculating culture (ISIRC), indoor super‐intensive biofloc culture (ISBIC), pond monoculture (PMC), and the pond integrated multi‐trophic aquaculture model (PIMTA) utilizing a bioeconomic model, Monte Carlo simulation, and meta‐analysis. The results indicate that PIMTA and PMC begin generating profits after 44 and 36 days of farming, respectively, demonstrating a distinct advantage in break‐even points. ISBIC and ISIC both become profitable after 49 days, with peak net profits per unit yield occurring at 102 and 119 days, respectively. In terms of net profit per unit area, ISIC performs best within a 125‐day cycle, reaching a maximum of 35.49 USD m ⁻² , followed by ISBIC, which peaks at 34.83 USD m ⁻² on day 122, while PIMTA and PMC exhibit relatively lower economic returns per unit area. The Monte Carlo simulation reveals overlapping net profit distributions between ISIC and ISBIC, whereas the net profit distribution of ISIRC remains largely independent, with a peak of only 49,145 USD ha ⁻¹ , and both PMC and PIMTA show lower net profits with narrower distributions. Over the short term (before day 125), ISIC achieves the highest economic returns; however, ISBIC becomes more economically advantageous in the later stages (after day 125). In terms of ecological performance, PIMTA ranks first, followed by ISIRC. The meta‐analysis of the collected data indicates that the comprehensive benefits of shrimp farming peak at a size of 70 tails per kilogram. This study provides a scientific basis for farmers to select suitable farming models and formulate dynamic market strategies, thereby contributing to the sustainable development of aquaculture.

With the intensifying global freshwater shortage, the efficient utilization of saline–alkaline water has become a critical research focus in aquaculture. In this study, brown sugar, corn straw powder, and peanut shell powder were added to regulate the carbon‐to‐nitrogen ratio (C/N = 15) of saline–alkaline water, while a blank control group without carbon source addition was set up. The effects of this regulation on the aquaculture environment and health status of Litopenaeus vannamei were systematically evaluated. The experimental results demonstrated that the brown sugar group (HT) significantly improved the aquaculture water quality ( p < 0.05): the peak concentrations of total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) and nitrite () were 4.41 ± 0.20 mg/L and 1.93 ± 0.29 mg/L, respectively, which were 42.73% and 70.12% lower than those in the control group (control, TAN peak: 7.70 ± 0.30 mg/L; peak: 6.46 ± 0.24 mg/L). Meanwhile, this group alleviated high‐alkalinity stress through the rapid formation of bioflocs, with a pH value of 8.57 ± 0.34, which was lower than that of the control group (8.94 ± 0.35) ( p < 0.05). Relative abundance of Bacillus in the HT group increased to 18.7% (6.3% in control), whereas the proportion of Vibrio decreased, indicating that carbon source type directly influenced probiotic proliferation and pathogen suppression. The HT group exhibited the best growth performance, with a final body weight of 8.31 ± 0.25 g, a specific growth rate (SGR) of 7.04 ± 0.10%/day, and a survival rate of 96%, all of which were significantly higher than those in other treatments ( p < 0.05). Furthermore, hepatopancreatic antioxidant enzyme activities, including superoxide dismutase and catalase, reached 129.67 U/mg prot and 22.33 U/mg prot, respectively, increases of 26.7% and 29% over the control group ( p < 0.05). These findings confirm that carbon supplementation mitigates oxidative stress by enhancing antioxidant capacity. Brown sugar was identified as an efficient carbon source for L. vannamei culture in saline–alkaline water systems. This study provides essential theoretical support for carbon source selection and biofloc technology optimization in saline–alkaline water aquaculture.

Solute carrier family 12 (SLC12) encodes electroneutral cation-coupled chloride cotransporters responsible for transmembrane ion transport (Na⁺, K⁺, and Cl⁻), which play a critical role in aquatic osmoregulation. However, the SLC12 gene of Exopalaemon carinicauda (EcSLC12) has not been systematically identified or functionally characterized. In this study, six EcSLC12 genes were identified across the genome and classified into N(K)CC, KCC, CCC9, and CIP subfamilies. Three NKCC1 homologous genes (EcSLC12A2.1, EcSLC12A2.2, and EcSLC12A2.3) were reported for the first time in crustaceans. The EcSLC12 family exhibited distinct expression patterns in response to low-salinity, high-alkalinity, and saline–alkaline stress. EcSLC12A2.2 was highly expressed in the gill, and its expression was closely correlated with saline–alkaline acclimation. Additionally, EcSLC12A2.2 knockdown decreased E. carinicauda survival under saline–alkaline stress. Thus, EcSLC12A2.2 plays critical roles in osmotic regulation and saline–alkaline acclimation. This study provides crucial insights into E. carinicauda’s saline–alkaline tolerance mechanisms, and the discovery of multiple NKCC1 homologs fills a gap in the crustacean SLC12 gene family research.

Molecular chaperones, especially heat shock proteins (HSPs) have vital functions in cells’ responses to stress. Here, we cloned and sequenced the complete complementary DNA encoding HSP90 (MjHSP90) from the shrimp Marsupenaeus japonicus. The MjHSP90 cDNA comprised 3162 bp, including a 2172 bp coding region encoding a 724 amino acid-protein (predicted molecular mass = 83.12 kDa). Homology and phylogenetic analyses showed that MjHSP90 was highly conserved and most homologous to Litopenaeus vannamei HSP90. MjHSP90 is expressed in all tested tissues, with high expression in gill tissue and the hepatopancreas. Cold stress significantly upregulated MjHSP90 expression in the gill and hepatopancreas (p < 0.05). Following RNA interference knockdown of MjHSP90, the cold stress-related death rate of the shrimp increased significantly, accompanied by significantly upregulated expression of apoptosis-related genes Mjcaspase-3 and Mjbcl-2 (p < 0.05) and an increase in the number of apoptotic cells. The results indicated that MjHSP90 might play a pivotal role in the shrimp’s immune response to cold stress.

Exopalaemon carinicauda, a eurythermal and euryhaline shrimp, contributes one third of the total biomass production of polyculture ponds in eastern China and is considered as a potential ideal experimental animal for research on crustaceans. We conducted a high-quality chromosome-level genome assembly of E. carinicauda combining PacBio HiFi and Hi-C sequencing data. The total assembly size was 5.86 Gb, with a contig N50 of 235.52 kb and a scaffold N50 of 138.24 Mb. Approximately 95.29% of the assembled sequences were anchored onto 45 pseudochromosomes. BUSCO analysis revealed that 92.89% of 1,013 single-copy genes were highly conserved orthologs. A total of 44, 288 protein-coding genes were predicted, of which 70.53% were functionally annotated. Given its high heterozygosity (2.62%) and large proportion of repeat sequences (71.49%), it is one of the most complex genome assemblies. This chromosome-scale genome will be a valuable resource for future molecular breeding and functional genomics research on E. carinicauda.

Vitellogenin (Vtg) is a precursor of yolk proteins in egg-laying vertebrates and invertebrates and plays an important role in vitellogenesis and embryonic development. However, the Vtg family remains poorly characterized in Exopalaemon carinicauda, a major commercial mariculture species found along the coasts of the Yellow and Bohai Seas. In this study, 10 Vtg genes from the genomes of E. carinicauda were identified and characterized. Phylogenetic analyses showed that the Vtg genes in crustaceans could be classified into four groups: Astacidea, Brachyra, Penaeidae, and Palaemonidae. EcVtg genes were unevenly distributed on the chromosomes of E. carinicauda, and a molecular evolutionary analysis showed that the EcVtg genes were primarily constrained by purifying selection during evolution. All putative EcVtg proteins were characterized by the presence of three conserved functional domains: a lipoprotein N-terminal domain (LPD_N), a domain of unknown function (DUF1943), and a von Willebrand factor type D domain (vWD). All EcVtg genes exhibited higher expression in the female hepatopancreas than in other tissues, and EcVtg gene expression during ovarian development suggested that the hepatopancreas is the main synthesis site in E. carinicauda. EcVtg1a, EcVtg2, and EcVtg3 play major roles in exogenous vitellogenesis, and EcVtg3 also plays a major role in endogenous vitellogenesis. Bilateral ablation of the eyestalk significantly upregulates EcVtg mRNA expression in the female hepatopancreas, indicating that the X-organ/sinus gland complex plays an important role in ovarian development, mostly by inducing Vtg synthesis. These results could improve our understanding of the function of multiple Vtg genes in crustaceans and aid future studies on the function of EcVtg genes during ovarian development in E. carinicauda.

Salinity is an important environmental stress factor in mariculture. Shrimp intestines harbor dense and diverse microbial communities that maintain host health and anti-pathogen capabilities under salinity stress. In this study, 16s amplicon and transcriptome sequencing were used to analyze the intestine of Fenneropenaeus chinensis under low-salinity stress (15 ppt). This study aimed to investigate the response mechanisms of the intestinal microbiota and gene expression to acute low-salinity stress. The intestinal tissues of F. chinensis were analyzed using 16S microbiota and transcriptome sequencing. The microbiota analysis demonstrated that the relative abundances of Photobacterium and Vibrio decreased significantly, whereas Shewanella, Pseudomonas, Lactobacillus, Ralstonia, Colwellia, Cohaesibacter, Fusibacter, and Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group became the predominant communities. Transcriptome sequencing identified numerous differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The DEGs were clustered into many Gene Ontology terms and further enriched in some immunity- or metabolism-related Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways, including various types of N-glycan biosynthesis, amino acid sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism, and lysosome and fatty acid metabolism. Correlation analysis between microbiota and DEGs showed that changes in Pseudomonas, Ralstonia, Colwellia, and Cohaesibacter were positively correlated with immune-related genes such as peritrophin-1-like and mucin-2-like, and negatively correlated with caspase-1-like genes. Low-salinity stress caused changes in intestinal microorganisms and their gene expression, with a close correlation between them.

Eyestalk ablation is an effective method to promote ovarian development in crustaceans. Herein, we performed transcriptome sequencing of ovary and hepatopancreas tissues after eyestalk ablation in Exopalaemon carinicauda to identify genes related to ovarian development. Our analyses led to the identification of 97,383 unigenes and 190,757 transcripts, with an average N50 length of 1757 bp. In the ovary, four pathways related to oogenesis and three related to oocyte rapid growth were enriched. In the hepatopancreas, two vitellogenesis-associated transcripts were identified. Furthermore, short time-series expression miner (STEM) and gene ontology (GO) enrichment analyses revealed five terms related to gamete generation. In addition, two-color fluorescent in situ hybridization results suggested that dmrt1 might play a vital role in oogenesis during the early stage of ovarian development. Overall, our insights should support future studies focusing on investigating oogenesis and ovarian development in E. carinicauda.