Comprehensive Proteomics, Metabolomics, and Lipidomics Studies of Tenualosa Ilisha Fish

Proteomics, metabolomics, and lipidomics are essential for understanding the molecular characterization of organisms, and they can identify and quantify proteins, small-molecule metabolites, and lipids. Fish, known as a high-quality protein source, is crucial to ensuring global food security. While proteomics is widely used in human disease research, fish proteomics has received relatively less attention. Hilsa, also called ilishi, hilsa herring, or hilsa shad, is a species of the family Clupeidae and is commonly found in riverine and coastal areas of South Asia, the North Pacific, and the North Atlantic Oceans. In this study, we employed a multi-omics approach to identify proteins, metabolites, and lipids in hilsa fish eggs, brains, and tissue samples using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with an Orbitrap Exploris 240 Mass Spectrometer. Our findings identified 179 proteins in the ilisha tissue sample, 178 in the egg sample, and 179 in the brain sample. In our metabolomics profile of Tenualosa ilisha, we have identified a total of 2251 metabolites. In lipidomic research, a total of 3566 different lipids, including C16 sphinganine, sphingosine, phytosphingosine, Palmitamide, and various others have been identified. Notably, the recombination activation (RA) protein 1 from Tenualosa thaibaudeaui has been identified as the most abundant protein in T. ilisha with 100% sequence coverage. This identified RA protein 1 is essential for the immune system, particularly in the development of B and T lymphocytes. Additionally, our studies of protein homology within the Clupeidae family revealed significant similarities, with 33% of identified proteins showing homology to Clupea harengus and 28% to Sardina pilchardus, providing insights into evolutionary relationships within this family. Extensive identification of protein, metabolites, and lipids reveals the comprehensive characteristics of the biochemical profile of T. Ilisha and contributes to its biological processes. This multi-omics study elucidates a comprehension of Tenualosa ilisha's gene expression, protein production, cellular signaling, and metabolic pathways.