Aquaculture assumes a pivotal role in meeting the escalating global food demand, and shrimp farming, in particular, holds a significant role in the global economy and food security, providing a rich source of nutrients for human consumption. Nonetheless, the industry faces formidable challenges, primarily attributed to disease outbreaks and the diminishing efficacy of conventional disease management approaches, such as antibiotic usage. Consequently, there is an urgent imperative to explore alternative strategies to ensure the sustainability of the industry. In this context, the field of epigenetics emerges as a promising avenue for combating infectious diseases in shrimp aquaculture. Epigenetic modulations entail chemical alterations in DNA and proteins, orchestrating gene expression patterns without modifying the underlying DNA sequence through DNA methylation, histone modifications, and non-coding RNA molecules. Utilizing epigenetic mechanisms presents an opportunity to enhance immune gene expression and bolster disease resistance in shrimp, thereby contributing to disease management strategies and optimizing shrimp health and productivity. Additionally, the concept of epigenetic inheritability in marine animals holds immense potential for the future of the shrimp farming industry. To this end, this comprehensive review thoroughly explores the dynamics of epigenetic modulations in shrimp aquaculture, with a particular emphasis on its pivotal role in disease management. It conveys the significance of harnessing advantageous epigenetic changes to ensure the long-term viability of shrimp farming while deliberating on the potential consequences of these interventions. Overall, this appraisal highlights the promising trajectory of epigenetic applications, propelling the field toward strengthening sustainability in shrimp aquaculture.

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a gram-negative bacterium capable of causing diseases in humans and aquatic animals. The global relationships among V. parahaemolyticus genomes have been studied using multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Recently, the MLST gene recA has shown difficulties in amplification and/or a larger PCR fragment for some V. parahaemolyticus genomes due to genetic recombination. We aimed to investigate these recombination events of recA gene by analyzing 500 publicly available whole genomes from the NCBI database. The genomes with untypable recA genes were separated using BIGSdb and CGEMLST 2.0 servers, followed by annotation with RAST and NCBI pipelines. Moreover, the variable nature of V. parahaemolyticus was investigated by wgMLST analysis. The hypothetical proteins in recombinant regions were analyzed with VCIMPred tool. In the results, 3 genomes were detected with recA gene recombination, in which 2 were associated with phages and 1 to an AHPND causing strain. All 3 recombinant regions had a G + C content of 39%-40% with 15-30 ORFs, including a newly incorporated recA gene. These acquired recA genes were closely related to 3 different genera namely Aliivibrio, Photobacterium, and Vibrio. The wgMLST analysis indicated genetic recombination events occur independently among V. parahaemolyticus on a global scale. The in silico analysis revealed 4 hypothetical proteins associated with virulence factors in recombinant regions. The present study confirms, recombination events of V. parahaemolyticus recA gene, are diverse and may have an impact on the evolutionary process. Moreover, understanding these genetic recombination events of the recA gene is necessary to determine their STs and, therefore assessing epidemiological relationships.

Suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) genes are essential negative regulators that modulate cytokine signaling and play key roles in numerous biological processes, including immune responses. In this study, we cloned the complementary DNA (cDNA) sequences of two SOCS genes, designated as LvSOCS6 and LvSOCS7, from the whiteleg shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei. LvSOCS6 encoded a polypeptide of 463 amino acids (aas), spanning 1392 base pairs (bps), while LvSOCS7 encoded a significantly larger polypeptide of 955 aas, encompassing 2868 bps. Both LvSOCS proteins exhibited conserved domains associated with SOCS, including a centralized Src homology 2 (SH2) domain and a C-terminal SOCS box. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the deduced aa sequences of LvSOCS6 and LvSOCS7 clustered within the invertebrate type I SOCS family, indicating their evolutionary relatedness. Tissue distribution analysis demonstrated ubiquitous expression of both LvSOCS genes across all examined tissues, with LvSOCS6 showing heightened expression in the gills and LvSOCS7 in the gills and stomach. Notably, mRNA expression patterns of LvSOCS genes following LPS and poly (I:C) stimulations exhibited significant upregulations, while PGN stimulation yielded incongruous results across the examined tissues. Interestingly, concurrent with the diminished expression of LvSOCS6 and LvSOCS7, there was significant elevation in mRNA expression levels of LvSTAT, a vital component of the Janus kinase (JAK)/signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathway. These findings shed light on the potential involvement of the newly discovered type I SOCS genes in regulating the JAK/STAT pathways and playing pivotal roles in orchestrating the innate immune responses in L. vannamei defense mechanisms.

The pathogen Gallibacterium anatis has caused heavy economic losses for commercial poultry farms around the world. However, despite its importance, the functions of its hypothetical proteins (HPs) have been poorly characterized. The present study analyzed the functions and structures of HPs obtained from Gallibacterium anatis (NCTC11413) using various bioinformatics tools. Initially, all the functions of HPs were predicted using the VICMpred tool, and the physicochemical properties of the identified virulence proteins were then analyzed using Expasy's ProtParam server. A virulence protein (WP_013745346.1) that can act as a potential drug target was further analyzed for its secondary structure, followed by homology modeling and three-dimensional (3D) structure determination using the Swiss-Model and Phyre2 servers. The quality assessment and validation of the 3D model were conducted using ERRAT, Verify3D, and PROCHECK programs. The functional and phylogenetic analysis was conducted using ProFunc, STRING, KEGG servers, and MEGA software. The bioinformatics analysis revealed 201 HPs related to cellular processes (n = 119), metabolism (n = 61), virulence (n = 11), and information/storage molecules (n = 10). Among the virulence proteins, three were detected as drug targets and six as vaccine targets. The characterized virulence protein WP_013745346.1 is proven to be stable, a drug target, and an enzyme related to the citrate cycle in the present pathogen. This enzyme was also found to facilitate other metabolic pathways, the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, and the biosynthesis of amino acids.