Litopenaeus vannamei, with high plant protein acceptance and high global aquaculture production, is a potential species for rapeseed meal application. However, rapeseed meal has been associated with anorexia in fish, and whether the same occurs in L. vannamei remains unknown. This study demonstrated the effects of rapeseed meal on the feeding and anorexigenic endocrine of L. vannamei based on feeding behavior and transcriptomics. Soybean meal was replaced with fermented rapeseed meal (50%), and a significant increase in remaining diet and dietary discard was observed with a significant reduction in dietary visits. Transcriptome analysis revealed that the pathways involved in rapeseed meal-induced anorexia mainly included signal transduction, the digestive system, the sensory system, the endocrine system, phototransduction-fly, the thyroid hormone signaling pathway and pancreatic secretion. Moreover, this study further analyzed and identified seven neuropeptides involved in rapeseed meal-induced anorexia, and it explored the complex expression regulation strategies of these neuropeptides. In summary, this study confirmed through feeding behavior that rapeseed meal causes anorexia in L. vannamei, and it identified seven neuropeptides that were closely related to the anorexia process.
Keywords: appetite; aquaculture; fish meal substitution; neuropeptides; rapeseed meal; white leg shrimp.