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Liu Y, Du M, Li X, Zhang L, Zhao B, Wang N, Dugarjaviin M. Single-Cell Transcriptome Sequencing Reveals Molecular Expression Differences and Marker Genes in Testes during the Sexual Maturation of Mongolian Horses. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:1258. [PMID: 38731262 PMCID: PMC11082968 DOI: 10.3390/ani14091258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2024] [Revised: 04/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate differences in testicular tissue morphology, gene expression, and marker genes between sexually immature (1-year-old) and sexually mature (10-year-old) Mongolian horses. The purposes of our research were to provide insights into the reproductive physiology of male Mongolian horses and to identify potential markers for sexual maturity. The methods we applied included the transcriptomic profiling of testicular cells using single-cell sequencing techniques. Our results revealed significant differences in tissue morphology and gene expression patterns between the two age groups. Specifically, 25 cell clusters and 10 cell types were identified, including spermatogonial and somatic cells. Differential gene expression analysis highlighted distinct patterns related to cellular infrastructure in sexually immature horses and spermatogenesis in sexually mature horses. Marker genes specific to each stage were also identified, including APOA1, AMH, TAC3, INHA, SPARC, and SOX9 for the sexually immature stage, and PRM1, PRM2, LOC100051500, PRSS37, HMGB4, and H1-9 for the sexually mature stage. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of testicular development and spermatogenesis in Mongolian horses and have potential applications in equine reproductive biology and breeding programs. In conclusion, this study provides valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying sexual maturity in Mongolian horses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanyi Liu
- Key Laboratory of Equus Germplasm Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Hohhot 010018, China; (Y.L.); (M.D.); (X.L.); (L.Z.); (B.Z.); (N.W.)
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Equine Science Research and Technology Innovation, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
- Equus Research Center, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
| | - Ming Du
- Key Laboratory of Equus Germplasm Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Hohhot 010018, China; (Y.L.); (M.D.); (X.L.); (L.Z.); (B.Z.); (N.W.)
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Equine Science Research and Technology Innovation, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
- Equus Research Center, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
| | - Xinyu Li
- Key Laboratory of Equus Germplasm Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Hohhot 010018, China; (Y.L.); (M.D.); (X.L.); (L.Z.); (B.Z.); (N.W.)
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Equine Science Research and Technology Innovation, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
- Equus Research Center, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
| | - Lei Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Equus Germplasm Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Hohhot 010018, China; (Y.L.); (M.D.); (X.L.); (L.Z.); (B.Z.); (N.W.)
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Equine Science Research and Technology Innovation, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
- Equus Research Center, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
| | - Bilig Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Equus Germplasm Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Hohhot 010018, China; (Y.L.); (M.D.); (X.L.); (L.Z.); (B.Z.); (N.W.)
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Equine Science Research and Technology Innovation, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
- Equus Research Center, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
| | - Na Wang
- Key Laboratory of Equus Germplasm Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Hohhot 010018, China; (Y.L.); (M.D.); (X.L.); (L.Z.); (B.Z.); (N.W.)
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Equine Science Research and Technology Innovation, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
- Equus Research Center, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
| | - Manglai Dugarjaviin
- Key Laboratory of Equus Germplasm Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Hohhot 010018, China; (Y.L.); (M.D.); (X.L.); (L.Z.); (B.Z.); (N.W.)
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Equine Science Research and Technology Innovation, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
- Equus Research Center, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
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Reißmann M, Rajavel A, Kokov ZA, Schmitt AO. Identification of Differentially Expressed Genes after Endurance Runs in Karbadian Horses to Determine Candidates for Stress Indicators and Performance Capability. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:1982. [PMID: 38002925 PMCID: PMC10671444 DOI: 10.3390/genes14111982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
RNA sequencing makes it possible to uncover genetic mechanisms that underlie certain performance traits. In order to gain a deeper insight into the genetic background and biological processes involved in endurance performance in horses, the changes in the gene expression profiles induced by endurance runs over long (70 km) and short (15 km) distances in the blood of Kabardian horses (Equus caballus) were analyzed. For the long-distance runs, we identified 1484 up- and 691 downregulated genes, while after short-distance runs, only 13 up- and 8 downregulated genes (FC > |1.5|; p < 0.05) were found. These differentially expressed genes (DEGs) are involved in processes and pathways that are primarily related to stress response (interleukin production, activation of inflammatory system) but also to metabolism (carbohydrate catabolic process, lipid biosynthesis, NADP metabolic process). The most important genes involved in these processes therefore represent good candidates for the monitoring and evaluation of the performance of horses in order to avoid excessive demands when endurance performance is required, like ACOD1, CCL5, CD40LG, FOS, IL1R2, IL20RA, and IL22RA2, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, for assessing the suitability of a horse for endurance races, like GATA2, GYG1, HIF1A, MOGAT1, PFKFB3, PLIN5, SIK1, and STBD1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monika Reißmann
- Thaer-Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10099 Berlin, Germany;
| | - Abirami Rajavel
- Breeding Informatics Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Georg-August University, Margarethe von Wrangell-Weg 7, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Zaur A. Kokov
- Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Kabardino-Balkarian State University, Chernyshevsky 173, Nalchik 360004, Russia;
| | - Armin O. Schmitt
- Breeding Informatics Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Georg-August University, Margarethe von Wrangell-Weg 7, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
- Center for Integrated Breeding Research (CiBreed), Georg-August University, Carl-Sprengel-Weg 1, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
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Zhelankin AV, Iulmetova LN, Ahmetov II, Generozov EV, Sharova EI. Diversity and Differential Expression of MicroRNAs in the Human Skeletal Muscle with Distinct Fiber Type Composition. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:659. [PMID: 36983815 PMCID: PMC10056610 DOI: 10.3390/life13030659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2023] [Revised: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The ratio of fast- and slow-twitch fibers in human skeletal muscle is variable and largely determined by genetic factors. In this study, we investigated the contribution of microRNA (miRNA) in skeletal muscle fiber type composition. The study involved biopsy samples of the vastus lateralis muscle from 24 male participants with distinct fiber type ratios. The miRNA study included samples from five endurance athletes and five power athletes with the predominance of slow-twitch (61.6-72.8%) and fast-twitch (69.3-80.7%) fibers, respectively. Total and small RNA were extracted from tissue samples. Total RNA sequencing (N = 24) revealed 352 differentially expressed genes between the groups with the predominance of fast- and slow-twitch muscle fibers. Small RNA sequencing showed upregulation of miR-206, miR-501-3p and miR-185-5p, and downregulation of miR-499a-5p and miR-208-5p in the group of power athletes with fast-twitch fiber predominance. Two miRtronic miRNAs, miR-208b-3p and miR-499a-5p, had strong correlations in expression with their host genes (MYH7 and MYH7B, respectively). Correlations between the expression of miRNAs and their experimentally validated messenger RNA (mRNA) targets were calculated, and 11 miRNA-mRNA interactions with strong negative correlations were identified. Two of them belonged to miR-208b-3p and miR-499a-5p, indicating their regulatory links with the expression of CDKN1A and FOXO4, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrey V. Zhelankin
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 119435 Moscow, Russia
| | - Liliia N. Iulmetova
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 119435 Moscow, Russia
| | - Ildus I. Ahmetov
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 119435 Moscow, Russia
- Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 5AF, UK
| | - Eduard V. Generozov
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 119435 Moscow, Russia
| | - Elena I. Sharova
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 119435 Moscow, Russia
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Li Y, Ma Q, Shi X, Yuan W, Liu G, Wang C. Comparative Transcriptome Analysis of Slow-Twitch and Fast-Twitch Muscles in Dezhou Donkeys. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:1610. [PMID: 36140778 PMCID: PMC9498731 DOI: 10.3390/genes13091610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2022] [Revised: 09/04/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The skeletal muscle fiber profile is closely related to livestock meat quality. However, the molecular mechanisms determining muscle fiber types in donkeys are not completely understood. In this study, we selected the psoas major muscle (PM; mainly composed of oxidative-type muscle fibers) and biceps femoris muscle (BF; mainly composed of glycolytic-type muscle fibers) and systematically compared their mRNA and microRNA transcriptomes via RNA-seq. We identified a total of 2881 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 21 known differentially expressed miRNAs (DEmiRs). Furthermore, functional enrichment analysis showed that the DEGs were mainly involved in energy metabolism and actin cytoskeleton regulation. The glycolysis/gluconeogenesis pathway (including up-regulated genes such as PKM, LDHA, PGK1 and ALDOA) was more highly enriched in BF, whereas the oxidative phosphorylation pathway and cardiac muscle contraction (including down-regulated genes such as LDHB, ATP2A2, myosin-7 (MYH7), TNNC1, TPM3 and TNNI1) was more enriched in PM. Additionally, we identified several candidate miRNA-mRNA pairs that might regulate muscle fiber types using the integrated miRNA-mRNA analysis. Combined with the results of protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis, some interesting DEGs (including ACTN3, TNNT3, TPM2, TNNC2, PKM, TNNC1 and TNNI1) might be potential candidate target genes involved in the miRNA-mediated regulation of the myofibril composition. This study is the first to indicate that DEmiRs, especially eca-miR-193a-5p and eca-miR-370, and potential candidate target genes that are mainly involved in actin binding (e.g., ACTN3, TNNT3 and TNNC1) and the glycolysis/gluconeogenesis pathways (e.g., PKM) might coregulate the myofibril composition in donkeys. This study may provide useful information for improving meat quality traits in Dezhou donkeys.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Li
- College of Agronomy, Shandong Engineering Technology Research Center for Efficient Breeding and Ecological Feeding of Black Donkey, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, China
| | - Qingshan Ma
- College of Agronomy, Shandong Engineering Technology Research Center for Efficient Breeding and Ecological Feeding of Black Donkey, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, China
| | - Xiaoyuan Shi
- College of Agronomy, Shandong Engineering Technology Research Center for Efficient Breeding and Ecological Feeding of Black Donkey, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, China
| | - Wenmin Yuan
- Marine Biomedical Research Institute of Qingdao, Qingdao 266000, China
| | - Guiqin Liu
- College of Agronomy, Shandong Engineering Technology Research Center for Efficient Breeding and Ecological Feeding of Black Donkey, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, China
| | - Changfa Wang
- College of Agronomy, Shandong Engineering Technology Research Center for Efficient Breeding and Ecological Feeding of Black Donkey, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, China
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Wen X, Luo S, Lv D, Jia C, Zhou X, Zhai Q, Xi L, Yang C. Variations in the fecal microbiota and their functions of Thoroughbred, Mongolian, and Hybrid horses. Front Vet Sci 2022; 9:920080. [PMID: 35968025 PMCID: PMC9366519 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.920080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The horse gut is colonized by a rich and complex microbial community that has important roles in horse physiology, metabolism, nutrition, and immune functions. Fewer across-breed variations in horse gut microbial diversity have been illustrated. In this article, the gut microbiota of Thoroughbred, Mongolian, and Hybrid horses [first filial generation (F1) of Mongolian (maternal) and Thoroughbred (paternal)] were studied by second-generation high-throughput sequencing technology. Differences in gut microbiota composition and function between breeds were determined using diversity and functional prediction analysis. The alpha diversity analysis showed that Thoroughbred horses had a more abundant and diverse gut microbiota, while the diversity of gut microbiota in Hybrid horses was intermediate between Thoroughbred and Mongolian horses. Subsequent cluster analysis showed that Hybrid horses have a microbiota composition more similar to Mongolian horses. LEfSe analysis revealed that the bacterial biomarkers for Thoroughbred horses at the family level were Prevotellaceae, Rikenellaceae, Fibrobacteraceae, p_251_o5, Lactobacillaceae, and uncultured_bacterium_o_WCHB1_41; the bacterial biomarker for Mongolian horses was Planococcaceae; and the bacterial biomarkers for Hybrid horses were Moraxellaceae, Enterobacteriaceae, and Ruminococcaceae. The functional prediction results indicated that the metabolic pathways differ significantly between the breeds. Regarding metabolism, the Hybrid horses had the lowest proportion of the carbohydrate metabolic pathways, while the energy metabolic pathway had the highest proportion. The abundance ratios of the remaining eight metabolic pathways in Hybrid horses were between Thoroughbred and Mongolian horses. In conclusion, the results of this study showed an association between horse breeds and gut microbiota.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaohui Wen
- Institute of Animal Health, Scientific Observation and Experiment Station of Veterinary Drugs and Diagnostic Techniques of Guangdong Province, Ministry of Agriculture of Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory of Animal Disease Prevention of Guangdong Province, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shengjun Luo
- Institute of Animal Health, Scientific Observation and Experiment Station of Veterinary Drugs and Diagnostic Techniques of Guangdong Province, Ministry of Agriculture of Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory of Animal Disease Prevention of Guangdong Province, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Dianhong Lv
- Institute of Animal Health, Scientific Observation and Experiment Station of Veterinary Drugs and Diagnostic Techniques of Guangdong Province, Ministry of Agriculture of Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory of Animal Disease Prevention of Guangdong Province, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chunling Jia
- Institute of Animal Health, Scientific Observation and Experiment Station of Veterinary Drugs and Diagnostic Techniques of Guangdong Province, Ministry of Agriculture of Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory of Animal Disease Prevention of Guangdong Province, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiurong Zhou
- Institute of Animal Health, Scientific Observation and Experiment Station of Veterinary Drugs and Diagnostic Techniques of Guangdong Province, Ministry of Agriculture of Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory of Animal Disease Prevention of Guangdong Province, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qi Zhai
- Institute of Animal Health, Scientific Observation and Experiment Station of Veterinary Drugs and Diagnostic Techniques of Guangdong Province, Ministry of Agriculture of Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory of Animal Disease Prevention of Guangdong Province, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Li Xi
- Department of Animal Science, College of Biology and Food, Shangqiu Normal University, Shangqiu, China
- *Correspondence: Li Xi
| | - Caijuan Yang
- National S&T Innovation Center for Modern Agricultural Industry, Guangzhou, China
- Caijuan Yang
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Wang H, Li B, Yang L, Jiang C, Zhang T, Liu S, Zhuang Z. Expression profiles and transcript properties of fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscles in a deep-sea highly migratory fish, Pseudocaranx dentex. PeerJ 2022; 10:e12720. [PMID: 35378928 PMCID: PMC8976474 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscles are the two principal skeletal muscle types in teleost with obvious differences in metabolic and contractile phenotypes. The molecular mechanisms that control and maintain the different muscle types remain unclear yet. Pseudocaranx dentex is a highly mobile active pelagic fish with distinctly differentiated fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscles. Meanwhile, P. dentex has become a potential target species for deep-sea aquaculture because of its considerable economic value. To elucidate the molecular characteristics in the two muscle types of P. dentex, we generated 122 million and 130 million clean reads from fast-twitch and slow-witch muscles using RNA-Seq, respectively. Comparative transcriptome analysis revealed that 2,862 genes were differentially expressed. According to GO and KEGG analysis, the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were mainly enriched in energy metabolism and skeletal muscle structure related pathways. Difference in the expression levels of specific genes for glycolytic and lipolysis provided molecular evidence for the differences in energy metabolic pathway between fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscles of P. dentex. Numerous genes encoding key enzymes of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation pathway were significantly upregulated at the mRNA expression level suggested slow-twitch muscle had a higher oxidative phosphorylation to ensure more energy supply. Meanwhile, expression patterns of the main skeletal muscle developmental genes were characterized, and the expression signatures of Sox8, Myod1, Calpain-3, Myogenin, and five insulin-like growth factors indicated that more myogenic cells of fast-twitch muscle in the differentiating state. The analysis of important skeletal muscle structural genes showed that muscle type-specific expression of myosin, troponin and tropomyosin may lead to the phenotypic structure differentiation. RT-qPCR analysis of twelve DEGs showed a good correlation with the transcriptome data and confirmed the reliability of the results presented in the study. The large-scale transcriptomic data generated in this study provided an overall insight into the thorough gene expression profiles of skeletal muscle in a highly mobile active pelagic fish, which could be valuable for further studies on molecular mechanisms responsible for the diversity and function of skeletal muscle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huan Wang
- Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao, Shandong, China,Laboratory for Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Processes, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Busu Li
- Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao, Shandong, China,Laboratory for Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Processes, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Long Yang
- Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao, Shandong, China,Laboratory for Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Processes, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, Shandong, China,College of Fisheries, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan, Zhejiang, China
| | - Chen Jiang
- College of Fisheries and Life Science, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, Liaoning, China
| | - Tao Zhang
- Dalian Tianzheng Industry Co., Ltd., Dalian, Liaoning, China
| | - Shufang Liu
- Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao, Shandong, China,Laboratory for Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Processes, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Zhimeng Zhuang
- Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao, Shandong, China
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