Unsynchronized growth is a common phenomenon in farmed crustaceans. The underlying molecular mechanism of unsynchronized growth of crustaceans is unclear. In this study, a comparative proteomic analysis focusing on growth differences was performed using kuruma shrimp Marsupenaeus japonicus, an economic crustacean species, as the model. The study analyzed kuruma shrimp at fast growth stage and steady growth stage from both fast growth group and slow growth group by an Isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ)-based quantitative proteomic analysis method. A total of 1,720 proteins, including 12,291 peptides, were identified. Fifty-two and 70 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified in the fast growth stage and steady growth stage, respectively. Interestingly, 10 DEPs, including 14-3-3-epsilon-like, GPI, GPD1, MHC-1a, and MHC-1b, were presented in both growth stages. In addition, all these 10 DEPs shared the same expression tendency at these two growth stages. The results indicated that these 10 DEPs are potential growth biomarkers of M. japonicus. Proteins associated with faster growth of M. japonicus may promote cell growth and inhibit cell apoptosis through the Hippo signaling pathway. The fast growth group of M. japonicus may also achieve growth superiority by activating multiple related metabolic pathways, including glycolysis, glycerophospholipid metabolism and Citrate cycle. The present study provides a new perspective to explore the molecular mechanism of unsynchronized growth in crustacean species.

High-resolution vertical profile observations of ocean environmental parameters are essential for investigating mesoscale ocean dynamic phenomena, such as internal waves, mesoscale eddies, and oceanic fronts. At present, vertical profile measurement in marine surveys mainly relies on shipborne winches to deploy and recover marine sensors, which entails high labor costs and considerable energy consumption. Unmanned observation platforms integrated with winch systems enable automatic sensor deployment and recovery, offering a viable approach to cutting observation costs. Nevertheless, inadequate energy supply remains a critical bottleneck restricting the large-scale popularization and application of such equipment. Accordingly, the development of high-efficiency winch systems tailored for unmanned autonomous observation platforms is of great engineering significance for facilitating long-term, continuous, and low-energy marine profile observation. This paper proposes a novel energy-saving winch with an embedded three-stage parallel nested energy storage structure for unmanned marine observation platforms. During operation, the coil spring energy storage system is charged during cable payout, and the stored elastic potential energy is released to assist motor driving in the cable retraction process. This auxiliary driving mode reduces motor power demand and improves the overall energy utilization efficiency of the platform. Experimental results demonstrate that, neglecting ocean current resistance, the proposed winch reduces energy consumption by 5% during cable payout and 21% during cable retraction. The overall energy consumption is decreased by 13% throughout a complete vertical profile measurement cycle. Under constrained and fixed energy supply conditions, this technology substantially enhances the sampling capability of unmanned marine platforms for ocean environmental monitoring. It further improves operational efficiency and extends continuous service time, providing key technical support for revealing ocean dynamic evolution and clarifying the formation and driving mechanisms of marine environmental phenomena.