Post-ovulatory aging effects on Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus) egg transcriptome across developmental stages

RNA-seq analysis examining the effects of post-ovulatory aging on gene expression in Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus) eggs. Eggs from one female were stored at 6°C for 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, or 12 hours before fertilization (t0-t12). RNA was extracted from four developmental stages: unfertilized eggs (UF), 8-cell stage (8C), blastula stage (BL), and 50 degree-days (50dd). Three technical replicates were collected for each stage and timepoint combination, resulting in 72 samples total (4 stages × 6 timepoints × 3 replicates). The study reveals that post-ovulatory aging primarily disrupts transcriptional programs at the mid-blastula transition, with significant downregulation of genes involved in axis formation, organogenesis, and developmental patterning. This dataset supports the findings that the BL stage is the critical failure window for post-ovulatory aged eggs