Immunometabolic Consequences of Aquatic Stress

Dear Colleagues,

Environmental stresses pose significant threats to aquatic animals, disrupting their homeostasis and inducing complex physiological responses. Among these, the intricate crosstalk between the immune and metabolic systems—a field known as immunometabolism—has emerged as a pivotal mechanism determining an organism's resilience. Under stress, the high energy demand for immune activation fundamentally reprograms core metabolic pathways, and conversely, metabolic status can powerfully shape immune outcomes. Modern metabolomics, as an essential tool of systems biology, provides a powerful lens to investigate this dynamic interplay. Unlike transcriptomic or proteomic analyses, metabolomic profiling captures the ultimate functional readout of physiological states, offering a real-time snapshot of the immunometabolic network in action.

This Special Issue aims to collect original research and review articles that explore the close connection between metabolites, metabolic pathways, and immune responses in aquatic organisms under various stressors. The focus will be on the immunometabolic mechanisms that underpin an organism's reaction to adverse conditions, including, but not limited to, characterizations of immunometabolic phenotypes, dynamics of energy substrate utilization during immune challenge, roles of specific metabolites as signaling molecules in immune regulation.

The ultimate goal of this Special Issue is to establish a dedicated forum for metabolomics-driven research in aquatic immunometabolism. Understanding these complex immunometabolic consequences is crucial, as they can determine outcomes ranging from successful adaptation to mass mortality, with direct implications for aquaculture productivity, wildlife conservation, and aquatic food safety.

Prof. Dr. Yanchun Sun
Guest Editor

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