RNA-Seq dependent transcriptional analysis unveils adaptive mechanisms in the intestine of sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus during aestivation. Apostichopus japonicus

Sea cucumbers (Holothuroidea; Echinodermata), cycle annually between aestivation when water temperature is above about 25°C in the summer and active life when temperature is below about 18°C. We used RNA-Seq to determine gene expression profiles of intestine tissue of A.japonicus during non-aestivation (NA), deep-aestivation (DA), and arousal from aestivation (AA). Overall design: At least 15 individuals per stage, intestines at NA, DA and AA stages were used for our experiments.