Nitrite is a major environmental toxin in aquaculture systems that disrupts multiple physiological functions in aquatic animals. Although nitrite tolerance in shrimp is closely related to successful industrial production, few genetic studies of this trait are available. In this study, we constructed a high-density genetic map of Litopenaeus vannamei with 17,242 single nucleotide polymorphism markers spanning 6,828.06 centimorgans (cM), with an average distance of 0.4 cM between adjacent markers on 44 linkage groups (LGs). Using this genetic map, we identified two markers associated with nitrite tolerance. We then sequenced the transcriptomes of the most nitrite-tolerant and nitrite-sensitive individuals from each of four genetically distinct L. vannamei families (LV-I–4). We found 2,002, 1,983, 1,954, and 1,867 differentially expressed genes in families LV-1, LV-2, LV-3, and LV-4, respectively. By integrating QTL and transcriptomics analyses, we identified a candidate gene associated with nitrite tolerance. This gene was annotated as solute carrier family 26 member 6 (SLC26A6). RNA interference (RNAi) analysis demonstrated that SLC26A6 was critical for nitrite tolerance in L. vannamei. The present study increases our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying nitrite tolerance in shrimp and provides a basis for molecular-marker-assisted shrimp breeding.

亚硝酸盐是水产养殖系统中的主要环境毒素，会破坏水生动物的多种生理功能。尽管虾的亚硝酸盐耐受性与成功的工业生产密切相关，但对该性状的遗传研究很少。在这项研究中，我们构建了高密度遗传图谱凡纳滨对虾具有 17,242 个单核苷酸多态性标记，跨越 6,828.06 厘摩 (cM)，44 个连锁群 (LG) 上相邻标记之间的平均距离为 0.4 cM。利用该遗传图谱，我们鉴定了两个与亚硝酸盐耐受性相关的标记。然后，我们对四个遗传上不同的个体中最耐亚硝酸盐和亚硝酸盐敏感的个体的转录组进行了测序。南美白对虾家庭（LV-I–4）。我们在 LV-1、LV-2、LV-3 和 LV-4 家族中分别发现了 2,002、1,983、1,954 和 1,867 个差异表达基因。通过整合 QTL 和转录组学分析，我们鉴定了一个与亚硝酸盐耐受性相关的候选基因。该基因被注释为溶质载体家族26成员6（ SLC26A6 ）。 RNA 干扰 (RNAi) 分析表明SLC26A6对于亚硝酸盐耐受性至关重要南美白对虾。本研究增加了我们对虾亚硝酸盐耐受性分子机制的理解，并为分子标记辅助虾育种提供了基础。