What question did this study set out to answer?

This research aims to investigate the relationship between gut microbiome and metabolome in spotted knifejaw related to growth performance.

April 26, 2026Open Access

Gut microbiome–metabolome profiling reveals divergent growth performance in the spotted knifejaw (Oplegnathus punctatus)

CMChao MaFujian Fisheries Research Institute CCChunxiu Chen XSXiaodi Shang

Key Points

This research aims to investigate the relationship between gut microbiome and metabolome in spotted knifejaw related to growth performance.
Analyzed intestinal microbiota and metabolites from fast-growing and slow-growing spotted knifejaw groups (n = 5 each) after 6 months in recirculating aquaculture systems.
Used microbiome analysis to assess alpha diversity, beta dispersion, and taxa enrichment.
Performed metabolomic analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment on identified metabolites.
Fast-growing groups (FGC) had significantly higher body weight (P < 0.05), lower microbial alpha diversity, and a dominance of Proteobacteria (> 75%).
Identified 251 differentially abundant metabolites; FGC showed increased levels of histamine and pyridoxine, while slow-growing groups (SGC) enriched in Lactobacillus and demonstrated higher microbiome diversity.
Significant positive correlations were observed between FGC-enriched genera and growth-associated metabolites.

Abstract

Growth divergence in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) compromises production efficiency, yet gut microbiome–metabolome correlations linked to this variation in the spotted knifejaw (Oplegnathus punctatus) remain unclear. To explore such associations, we analyzed intestinal microbiota and metabolites in pooled samples from fast-growing (FGC) and slow-growing (SGC) groups (n = 5 per group) after 6 months of RAS rearing. FGC showed significantly higher body weight (P 75%). SGC exhibited higher diversity and enrichment of Firmicutes, Bacteroidota, and Actinobacteriota. LEfSe (LDA score > 4.0) identified Photobacterium and Cetobacterium as taxa enriched in FGC, while Lactobacillus, Weissella, and Pediococcus were enriched in SGC. Metabolomic analysis identified 251 metabolites that were differentially abundant between FGC and SGC groups. In FGC, histamine, pyridoxine, and 6-hydroxyhexanoate showed significantly increased abundance, while microcystin LR and uracil showed decreased abundance (P < 0.05). KEGG pathway enrichment analysis indicated significant associations with protein digestion and absorption, ABC transporters, and aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis pathways. Correlation analysis revealed significant positive associations between FGC-enriched genera and metabolites potentially associated with growth performance. This study characterizes gut microbiome–metabolome correlation patterns associated with growth divergence in O. punctatus. Due to the small sample size and pooled sampling design, these findings represent exploratory observations that require validation in larger, individually-sampled cohorts before any functional interpretations or practical applications can be considered.

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