The lncRNA-mediated ceRNA network of Largemouth Bass contribute to immune regulation during LMBV Infection.

Largemouth bass ranavirus (LMBV) inflicts substantial economic losses on largemouth bass aquaculture; however, the contributions of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks to the host antiviral immune response remain poorly understood. In this study, we performed a comprehensive analysis of lncRNA-mediated ceRNA regulatory networks during LMBV infection, aiming to elucidate their functional roles in modulating immune defenses in largemouth bass.We performed whole transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq and miRNA-seq) on head kidney tissues from LMBV-infected fish at 24, 48, 72 hours post-infection (hpi) and NC (PBS-injected control). Differential expression analysis identified numerous significantly dysregulated lncRNAs, miRNAs, and mRNAs. Functional enrichment revealed their involvement in key immune pathways like PI3K-Akt, Toll-like receptor, and NF-kappa B signaling. A comprehensive ceRNA network was constructed, highlighting key interactions such as MSTRG.4391.5-miR-146-x-TIRAP and MSTRG.11433.4-miR-155-x-ANGPT4. RT-qPCR validation confirmed the expression trends of selected ceRNAs. The results demonstrate that LMBV infection induces dynamic changes in lncRNA expression, which likely function as ceRNAs to sponge miRNAs and regulate immune-related genes, potentially leading to immunosuppression. Our findings provide novel insights into the lncRNA-mediated post-transcriptional regulatory networks in antiviral immunity and identify potential targets for future disease control strategies in largemouth bass aquaculture.