Transcriptome analysis of the ink sac and brain tissues from Sepiella inermis: A resource for discovering genes related to the inking of cephalopods

The common Chinese cuttlefish (Sepiella inermis) is an important cephalopod with nutritional and commercial value. Intensive inking stimulated by swilling seawater in transfer containers threatens the survival of cephalopods during transportation. However, the molecular basis for the inking behavior of S. inermis remains unclear. In the present study, transcriptome analysis was performed on ink sac and brain tissues from S. inermis under two different conditions, i.e. the control group (with individuals immersed in static seawater) and the experimental group (with individuals immersed in swilling seawater) to determine the global gene expression differences. The individuals from the experimental group ejected ink in response to the swilling of seawater. 330,699 unigenes were obtained from twelve transcriptome libraries via the Illumina Hiseq X platform, and the differentially expressed genes in the ink sac and brain tissues were identified respectively. Multiple upregulated genes in the ink sac were involved in cation transporter activity. Besides, an autocrine/paracrine factor wnt10b like and two important transcription factors (homeobox 1 and Hes-1-b-like) were also significantly upregulated in the ink sac. Moreover, a neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) was significantly downregulated in the brain. The findings from this study provide an important transcriptomic resource for discovering critical genes related to inking behavior of S. inermis, providing a basis for developing potential methods for protecting S. inermis from intensive inking.