circadian-dependent microRNA expression in eyestalks of Chinese mitten crab

This study examines diurnal changes in gut microbiome community dynamics in the commercially important Chinese mitten crab. Although gut diurnal microbiome dynamics have been studied in mammals, few studies have addressed this in crustaceans. We therefore obtained Chinese mitten crab gut samples at four time points (6:00, 12:00, 18:00, and 24:00) in a 24 hour period, sequenced them using 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing, followed by analysis of community diversity, co-occurrence network analysis, and pathway enrichment analysis. A different consortium of phyla and genera predominated at each time point. In particular, the predominant phyla at 6:00, 12:00, 18:00, and 24:00 were, respectively, Tenericutes, Listeriaceae, Proteobacteria, and Lactobacillales. Bioinformatics analysis of the gut micriome revealed the importance of pathways involved in biosynthesis. We believe that our study makes a significant contribution to the literature because this is the first study to characterize circadian gut microbiome regulation in crustacean.