Transcriptomes and molecular pathway analysis of the liver in the red-eared slider turtle Trachemys scripta elegans under chronic salinity stress

In order to understand the molecular mechanisms of salinity adaptation, high-throughput RNA-Seq was utilized to discover the gene expression profiles and pathways that responded to elevated salinity in the liver of T. s. elegans Three turtles from each group were divided into three groups exposed to 0, 5, or 15 psu (practical salinity units) for 30 days, and sampled following a 24 h fast and anesthetized by storing at -20℃ cryo-anesthesia for 0.5-1 h.