Abstract
The aquaculture industry of red swamp crayfish (RSC), Procambarus clarkii, has grown significantly in recent decades due to increasing market demand. In China, low water temperatures, particularly during overwintering, pose a challenge, hindering the development of the RSC aquaculture industry in northern regions. Understanding the molecular mechanism of RSCs' responses to cold stress could be beneficial for its aquaculture practices. In this study, we exposed RSCs to 4 °C (T4) and 22 °C (T22: control) for 96 h. Transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses of hepatopancreas tissues were performed to identify key genes and metabolites that participate in cold stress response. A total of 787 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 198 differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) were identified between T4 and T22. DEGs were significantly enriched in KEGG pathways related to carbohydrate, lipid, amino acid, and nucleotide metabolism, immunity, and signaling, while DEMs were significantly enriched in pathways associated with lipid and amino acid metabolism and membrane transport. The results indicated that cold stress altered RSCs' metabolism and their innate immune system. This study provides valuable information to increase our understanding of cold stress responses in RSCs.