International Journal of Aquaculture, 2025, Vol.15, No.1, 29-36 http://www.aquapublisher.com/index.php/ija 29 Research Report Open Access Genetic Regulatory Mechanisms of Muscle Growth and Flesh Quality in Oxyeleotris marmorata Haimei Wang , Wenying Hong Hainan Tropical Agricultural Resources Research Institute, Tropical Bioresources Research Center, Sanya, 572025, Hainan, China Corresponding email: haimei.wang@hibio.org International Journal of Aquaculture, 2025, Vol.15, No.1 doi: 10.5376/ija.2025.15.0004 Received: 22 Jan., 2025 Accepted: 23 Feb., 2025 Published: 28 Feb., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Wang and Hong, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Wang H.M., and Hong W.Y., 2025, Genetic regulatory mechanisms of muscle growth and flesh quality in Oxyeleotris marmorata, International Journal of Aquaculture, 15(1): 29-36 (doi: 10.5376/ija.2025.15.0004) Abstract Oxyeleotris marmorata, commonly known as the marbled sleeper or bamboo fish, is a high-value tropical freshwater species appreciated for its superior flesh quality and nutritional value. Despite increasing production, the long breeding cycle and slow growth rate hinder its industrial development. This study systematically summarizes the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying muscle growth and flesh quality traits in O. marmorata, aiming to provide a theoretical basis for genetic improvement. Key topics include muscle development stages, fiber types and composition, regulatory pathways such as the GH/IGF axis and myogenic regulatory factors (MRFs), as well as roles of non-coding RNAs. The paper also explores genes related to intramuscular fat deposition, collagen synthesis, and flavor-related metabolism. Advances in omics technologies, QTL/GWAS findings, environmental and nutritional influences, and breeding strategies like MAS and CRISPR-based gene editing are also discussed. This study provides comprehensive insights into improving growth performance and meat quality through molecular breeding approaches. Keywords Oxyeleotris marmorata; Muscle growth; Flesh quality; Genetic regulation; Non-coding RNA 1 Introduction Marbled sleeper (Oxyeleotris marmorata), also known as bamboo fish, is a tropical freshwater fish in Southeast Asia. It grows slowly but has a huge body shape. It is popular for its delicious meat and rich nutrition. Bamboo shell fish has always been regarded as high-end edible fish, with high market prices and a certain breeding history in southwestern my country and Southeast Asia. With the advancement of breeding technology, the output of bamboo shoot shell fish farming industry has gradually increased, but problems such as long breeding cycle and relatively slow growth rate still affect their industrialization development. At present, the research on the genetic regulation of muscle growth and meat traits of bamboo shoot shell fish is still in its infancy, and it is urgent to systematically sort out relevant mechanisms to provide a theoretical basis for improved varieties. For farmed fish, the growth rate of muscle directly determines the efficiency and economic benefits of farming, while the flavor and texture of meat determines consumer acceptance. Among the evaluation indicators of fish quality, intramuscular fat content and fatty acid composition play an important role (Dang et al., 2019). Studies have shown that increasing fat content in the body of fish can often significantly improve the taste and juiciness of fish meat (Listrat et al., 2016). For example, Xiong et al. (2016) pointed out that increasing intramuscular fat (IMF) content can enhance the flavor and juiciness of fish. Therefore, exploring the molecular regulatory mechanisms of muscle growth and fat deposition is crucial to improving the aquaculture benefits and product quality of bamboo shoot shell fish. Based on the above background, this study reviews the biological basis and genetic regulation mechanism of muscle growth and meat traits of bamboo shoot shell fish. The content includes stage characteristics of muscle development, biological factors affecting meat quality, known key growth genes and non-coding RNAs, genes related to meat quality traits, and flavor metabolism pathways, omics research and QTL/GWAS progression, and the impact of environmental and nutritional factors on gene expression. In order to provide reference for the genetic breeding of bamboo shoot shell fish, it is of great significance to improving its growth performance and meat quality.
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