International Journal of Aquaculture, 2025, Vol.15, No.1, 29-36 http://www.aquapublisher.com/index.php/ija 32 shown that the diameter of muscle fibers is negatively correlated with the hardness of meat among different fish species (the larger the fiber diameter, the looser the meat is), while the content of collagen and connective tissue is positively correlated with the hardness of raw meat (Gui et al., 2020). Intramuscular proteases (such as cysteine proteases calpain, cathepsin, etc.) and aquaporin proteins in the sarcoid reticulum may also affect muscle contraction status and water retention. Differences in gene expression of these factors can lead to meat quality differences in different breeding conditions or genetic backgrounds. There is currently a lack of reports on genes directly related to the muscle texture and water retention of bamboo shoot shell fish. Related studies can refer to relevant genes of other economic fish, such as collagen family and protease genes, to provide clues for subsequent research. 4.3 Flavor-associated metabolic pathways and their genetic regulation The flavor of fish is mainly determined by a variety of metabolites such as free amino acids, nucleotides (such as sweet glutamic acid, umami inosine IMP, etc.) and fatty acid components. The accumulation of these flavor substances depends on the corresponding metabolic pathways, such as amino acid metabolism, ATP degradation pathways, etc., and the enzyme gene mutation or regulatory status on these pathways will directly affect the content of flavor substances (Dai et al, 2024). Although few studies have been shown specifically in fish to reveal the genetic mechanisms of taste component metabolism, studies have shown that intramuscular fat abundance can lead to a stronger taste by increasing flavor fatty acids (EPA, DHA) and bringing a stronger taste (Li et al., 2024). This aspect of research can be explored in depth by linking metabolomics and genomic data. 5 Application of Omics Technologies inO. marmorata Research 5.1 Transcriptomic analysis of differentially expressed genes Omics technology is widely used in fish genetic research, providing a new perspective for muscle development and meat quality research. For example, muscle transcriptome sequencing was performed on the fast-growing and slow-growing groups of Sinocyclocheilus grahami, and a total of 1 647 differentially expressed genes were identified (Yin et al., 2023). These differential genes are enriched in functional categories such as extracellular matrix (ECM)-receptor interactions, intracellular metabolic pathways. Further weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) points out that the type I collagen gene (col1a1, col1a2, etc.) may be an important candidate gene that affects growth performance. Similar studies can discover new regulatory genes for rapid growth of bamboo shoot shell fish muscles and improvement of fiber structure. 5.2 Proteomic profiling of key regulatory proteins Proteomics studies can supplement transcriptome information and reveal changes in protein levels during growth and meat formation. Through differential proteome analysis, researchers can identify proteins related to muscle development, lipid metabolism, connective tissue formation, etc. There have been studies using proteomics technology to analyze the effects of feed additives on muscle protein expression in zebrafish or trout, and found that growth regulators and stress-related proteins have significant differences (Jury et al., 2008). Although the proteomic data on bamboo shoot shellfish are still missing, referring to the results of other fish, we can focus on myofibers, membrane transporters, and energy metabolism-related proteins. 5.3 Metabolomic insights into variations in flesh quality traits Metabolomics provides intuitive indicators for flavor and texture research by detecting small molecule metabolites in muscles. By comparing the fish muscle metabolite spectrum under different strains or feeding conditions, key metabolites related to taste and flavor (such as free amino acids, inosine content, etc.) can be identified (Du et al., 2020). For example, metabolomic analysis of grass carp with different feeding methods can be found that changes in amino acid metabolism pathways and triacylglycerol metabolism are correlated with meat quality differences (Mabuchi et al., 2019). Future metabolomic studies on bamboo shoot shellfish can be integrated with transcriptome and proteome data to systematically identify metabolic regulatory networks that affect meat quality.
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