High-quality genome and transcriptome analyses under temperature stress reveal heat shock protein-centric adaptive enhancement mechanisms in Taiwanese loach.

Within the family Cobitidae, the Paramisgurnus dabryanus demonstrates notable environmental resilience and accelerated growth. This is particularly true for the subspecies Taiwanese loach (P. dabryanus ssp. Taiwan). This study presents a chromosome-level genome for the Taiwanese loach, offering a valuable genomic resource for Cobitoidei. We also identified expansions in gene families associated with environmental adaptation, such as heat shock proteins (HSPs), in Taiwanese loaches. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that HSPs may exert a central regulatory role under temperature stress. Corresponding physiological measurements indicated significant upregulation of T-AOC, SOD, AKP and ACP, closely mirroring HSP expression dynamics and indicating a tightly coordinated defence mechanism against environmental insults. These findings reveal that the enhanced stress tolerance in the Taiwanese loach involves a potential coordinated stress adaptation system in which HSPs appear to play a central role. This provides a theoretical basis for considering HSPs as candidate genes in selective breeding pro-grams aimed at improving stress resistance in loach species.