To understand the physiological response of estuarine fish to acidification, barramundi (Lates calcarifer) juveniles were exposed to acidified seawater in experimental conditions. The molecular response of barramundi to acidification stress was assessed by RNA-seq analysis. A total of 2188 genes were identified as differential expression genes. The gene ontology classification system and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes database analysis showed that acidification caused differential expressions of genes and pathways in the gills of barramundi. Acidification had a great influence on the signal transduction pathway in cell process. Furthermore, we detected that numerous unigenes involved in the pathways associated with lipid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, amino acid metabolism, glycan biosynthesis and metabolism specific and non-specific immunity were changed. This study indicates that the physiological responses in barramundi especially the immune system and energy allocation correspond to the variation of environmental pH. This study reveals the necessity for assessment of the potential of estuarine fishes to cope with acidification of the environment and the need to develop strategies for fish conservation in coastal areas.

为了理解河口鱼酸化，澳洲肺鱼的生理反应（鲈calcarifer）在实验条件下，将未成年人暴露于酸化的海水中。通过RNA-seq分析评估了澳洲肺鱼对酸化胁迫的分子反应。总共鉴定出2188个基因为差异表达基因。基因本体分类系统和《京都市基因与基因组百科全书》数据库分析表明，酸化导致了澳洲肺鱼the中基因的差异表达和途径。酸化对细胞过程中的信号转导途径有很大的影响。此外，我们检测到与脂质代谢，碳水化合物代谢，氨基酸代谢，聚糖生物合成以及代谢特异性和非特异性免疫相关的途径中涉及的许多单基因都发生了改变。这项研究表明，澳洲肺鱼的生理反应，特别是免疫系统和能量分配与环境pH的变化相对应。这项研究揭示了评估河口鱼类应对环境酸化潜力的必要性，以及开发沿海地区鱼类保护战略的必要性。