Comparative identification, characterization and high-temperature stress analysis of the fatty acid-binding protein (fabp) genes in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) genome.

Fatty acid binding proteins (Fabps) could participate in multiple biological processes in organisms, such as immune defense, growth, development, metabolism, and stress tolerance. Although the roles of Fabps are well studied, little is known about the stress-induced changes in the Fabp family in largemouth bass. According to genomic analysis, 10 Fabps were detected in the largemouth bass. Phylogenetic and evolutionary analyses suggested that all Fabps could be divided into four clades. According to phylogenetic tree and conserved motif analysis, Fabps were relatively conserved. Real-time quantitative PCR results indicated that 10 fabps showed distinctive expression features in seven tissues, and the transcripts level of 8 fabps in fish liver exhibited marked changes after high-temperature stress. Additionally, a protein-protein interaction analysis revealed that Fabps might participate in responding to high-temperature stress by affecting lipid contents. This study may be the first systematic investigation about Fabps in largemouth bass. It will further deepen our insights into evolutionary processes and provide a critical framework for uncovering the underlying mechanism of Fabps in largemouth bass exposed to high temperature.