Ctenopharyngodon idella Transcriptome or Gene expression

Grass carp exhibit food habit transition from carnivorous to herbivorous during development. Very little is currently known about the genes regulating this unique food habit transition. Grass carp fed with duckweed (fish after food habit transition to herbivorous) had significantly higher growth than those fed with chironomid larvae (fish before transition and fish which have no transition) in terms of body length, gut length, body weight and the relative length of gut. Using transcriptome sequencing, we identified 10184 differentially expressed genes between grass carp before food transition and those after transition to herbivorous in brain, liver and gut, 8711 genes between fish before transition and those which have no transition, 4435 genes between fish which have no transition and those after transition to herbivorous. Elucidating the genes regulating the unique food habit transition from carnivorous to herbivorous in grass carp could lead to a better understanding of mechanisms controlling food habit in animals, including mammals.