To obtain transcriptomic insights into the growth regulation traits of Silurus lanzhouensis, this study employed de novo RNA sequencing to analyze the muscle transcriptome of the three heaviest (SLA) and three lightest (SLB) individuals from the same S. lanzhouensis family. Notably, the body weight, total length, and head length of the two groups were found to be significantly different (unpaired t test, P < 0.05). A total of 163,949 transcripts and 89,579 genes were identified, of which 843 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between the two groups (366 up-regulated and 477 down-regulated in the SLA group). The results were further validated via quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction of 16 selected DEGs and were deemed highly reliable. The differences in growth rates between the two groups were attributed to the DEGs associated with carbohydrate metabolism, cysteine and methionine metabolism, and cardiac muscle contraction. Hex-t2, Fbp2, and Pepck were the most promising candidate genes to explain the differences in growth rate between SLA and SLB. These results provide valuable insights into fish growth traits and may aid in the identification of biomarkers for the establishment of selection models for S. lanzhouensis and other cultured fish species.

为了获得对兰州鲇生长调节性状的转录组学见解，本研究采用从头 RNA 测序分析了来自同一兰州鲟家族的三个最重 (SLA) 和三个最轻 (SLB) 个体的肌肉转录组。值得注意的是，发现两组的体重、总长度和头长存在显着差异（非配对t检验，P < 0.05)。共鉴定出 163,949 个转录本和 89,579 个基因，其中两组之间鉴定出 843 个差异表达基因 (DEGs)（SLA 组中 366 个上调和 477 个下调）。通过 16 个选定的 DEG 的定量实时聚合酶链反应进一步验证了结果，并被认为是高度可靠的。两组之间生长速率的差异归因于与碳水化合物代谢、半胱氨酸和蛋氨酸代谢以及心肌收缩相关的 DEG。Hex-t2、Fbp2和Pepck是解释 SLA 和 SLB 之间生长速率差异的最有希望的候选基因。这些结果为鱼类生长性状提供了有价值的见解，并可能有助于识别生物标志物，以建立兰州鱼和其他养殖鱼类的选择模型。