Abstract
BACKGROUND: The escalating threats of global warming and the increasing demand for sustainable resources have driven research towards identifying resilient organisms capable of thriving under changing environmental conditions. A recently identified strain of Neopyropia yezoensis from Daebudo has demonstrated the ability to grow even under elevated temperatures. Understanding the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying this resilience is crucial for the development of heat-tolerant cultivars. METHODS: This study investigates the characteristics of the newly isolated strain N. yezoensis (Daebudo) through comprehensive transcriptome analysis on samples cultivated at various temperatures. Transcript reads were aligned to the genome sequences of N. yezoensis (susabi-nori) and Neoporphyra haitanensis. Aligned and unaligned reads were assembled separately, generating 45,089 transcripts and 105,750 transcripts, respectively. The transcripts were annotated using homologous sequences from the Swiss-Prot, NCBI NR, Pfam, SignalP, and KEGG databases. Differentially expressed gene (DEG) analysis was performed, and gene function classification (Gene Ontology) was conducted using BLASTX and BLASTP results from the Swiss-Prot database. RESULTS: Some transcripts that were upregulated under higher temperatures were found to be involved in key metabolic pathways such as glycolysis or photosynthesis. Also, several DEGs, including heat shock proteins and elongation factor 1 alpha, were identified as potential contributors to high-temperature tolerance. These DEGs are likely involved in cellular stress response and protein synthesis, facilitating growth under elevated temperatures. CONCLUSION: The findings provide new molecular-level insights into the growth mechanisms of N. yezoensis under heat stress. This information can be applied to the development of new cultivars with enhanced growth and heat tolerance, supporting sustainable aquaculture in the face of climate change.