Substrate-induced alterations of astaxanthin and crustacyanin mediate body color changes in Litopenaeus vannamei

作者：Ying Liu, YJ Li, Qianqian Zhao, Guoxiang Luan, H Y Wang, H Y Wang, Jingjie Hu, Jianming Sun, Zhenmin Bao, Yue Sun · 发表于：Aquaculture · 年份：2026 · DOI：10.1016/j.aquaculture.2026.744416 · 研究领域：Antioxidant Activity and Oxidative Stress、Aquaculture Nutrition and Growth、Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research

Body color is an important economic trait affecting the market value of shrimp. Substrate color can significantly influence body coloration in Litopenaeus vannamei , but the underlying mechanisms remain largely unclear. In this study, six substrate colors (white, blue, green, red, yellow, and black) were applied to investigate their effects on shrimp body color, and a multi-omics approach was employed to elucidate the regulatory mechanisms. The results showed that shrimp body color was determined by the lightness and centroid wavelength of the rearing environment. Dark substrate significantly increased astaxanthin content and the expression of astaxanthin-binding protein crustacyanin at both mRNA and protein levels, which promotes the deposition of astaxanthin in the epidermis and results in darker body coloration. Multi-omic results reveal that in response to environmental color changes, the epidermal tissue undergoes adaptive remodeling with a trade-off between catabolic activity and structural organization, while the hepatopancreas exhibits a metabolic rebalancing characterized by opposing regulation of amino acid and lipid metabolism/transport. In addition, a candidate carotenoid metabolism-related enzyme, CYP3A2, was identified, which may be involved in the bioconversion of astaxanthin. These findings provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying environmentally induced body color plasticity in crustaceans, and offer a theoretical basis for optimizing rea...