Research Advances in Aquatic Omics

Dear Colleagues,

Multi-omics (such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics) have been rapidly developed for various biological and biomedical research projects. Their significant achievements and applications have attracted numerous researchers worldwide to participate in and make contributions to basic and applied biosciences over the past few decades. Aquatic animals are irreplaceable in aquatic ecosystems and contribute to the diversity of global water environments. They frequently bring significant economic benefits and play an indispensable role in the aquaculture industry and biomedical research.

To better understand aquatic animals and the protective utilization of these diverse bioresources, genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics have emerged as powerful tools in the study of aquatic evolutionary biology. Large-scale genomic or transcriptomic projects exclusively for aquatic animals, such as the Marine Mammal Genome Project, the Cetacean Genomes Project, Fish10K (The 10000 Fish Genomes Project), and Fish-T1K (Transcriptomes of 1,000 Fishes), have greatly facilitated the evolutionary and systematic research of the sequenced creatures. The explosion of big genomics data also has deepened our understanding of the neo- and sub-functions of important macromolecules (such as proteins, peptides, and RNAs) and related networks, especially in poorly studied groups. Meanwhile, integrating genomics and transcriptomics usually provides novel approaches to extract functional macromolecules from natural resources, as well as speed up the discovery of novel bioactive substances (such as antimicrobial peptides and toxins) for developing marine drugs. However, related genomic and transcriptomic data have been scarce.

Therefore, in this Special Issue, studies with integrative genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic data from various aquatic animals (including fishes, shrimps, crabs, and invertebrates) are greatly desired since they will provide valuable genetic resources for potential breeding application and in-depth biomedical investigations. Extended details of protein and RNA networks, cellular biochemistry, protein chemistry and/or structural prediction, or molecular genetics are required to provide novel insights into the omics-based biosynthesis and development of bioactive products. Through this Special Issue, we also seek to understand the potential roles of diverse functional macromolecules and related networks. Accordingly, the present Special Issue will provide a platform to promote international aquatic genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics for addressing the adaptative mechanisms of molecular, physiological, or ecological phenotypes.

Various article types, including Original Research, Reviews, and Data Reports, are welcome. We welcome submissions covering the following subtopics:

• Genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics for aquatic biology;
• Evolutionary biology of aquatic animals;
• Adaptative mechanisms of molecular, physiological, or ecological phenotypes;
• Functional research of important macromolecules and related networks;
• Expression pattern of functional macromolecules and their products.

Dr. Zhengyong Wen
Prof. Dr. Qiong Shi
Prof. Dr. Haiping Liu
Guest Editors

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• aquatic animals
• genomics
• transcriptomics
• proteomics
• metabolomics
• genetics
• evolutionary biology