Multi-tissue transcriptomics elucidate growth disparity mechanisms in the leucistic morph of Channa argus

The leucistic northern snakehead ( Channa argus ), a leucistic morph of the species, maintains the high-quality meat and nutrient density characteristic of the wild-type populations, while its unique coloration may further enhance its market appeal. However, the genetic basis and molecular mechanism of its rapid growth rate are still unclear. In this study, transcriptome sequencing was performed on the brain, liver, and muscle tissues of leucistic northern snakehead individuals with significantly different growth rates using high-throughput sequencing technology. Through in-depth bioinformatics analysis, a series of differential pathways closely related to growth rate were identified, among which pathways such as TGF-beta signaling pathway were activated in the big group. Further functional analysis suggests that these pathways may have an important impact on the rapid growth characteristics of the leucistic northern snakehead by regulating key biological processes such as muscle growth and metabolism. This study not only provides valuable clues for revealing the molecular mechanism of the growth traits of the leucistic northern snakehead, but also lays a solid theoretical foundation for the molecular breeding of the leucistic northern snakehead and the sustainable development of the aquaculture industry.