Transcriptomic responses of the main liver and a specialized attaching liver after unilateral resection of the attaching liver in Pareuchiloglanis anteanalis

The attaching liver is a unique hepatic structure within Sisoridae fish, providing a valuable model for studying hepatic plasticity and injury responses. We performed unilateral attaching liver resection experiments in Pareuchiloglanis anteanalis and analyzed the transcriptomic profiles of the attaching and main livers across recovery stages. The attaching and main livers exhibited highly similar transcriptional landscapes, indicating largely conserved hepatic functions. In the early post-surgery stages, genes were significantly enriched in immune and oxygen transport pathways, whereas later responses were dominated by metabolism-related processes. STEM analysis indicated that the main liver primarily regulates metabolic homeostasis, whereas the attaching liver is more involved in immune modulation. Key genes socs3 and cd4 reflect dynamic immune pathway regulation, while pik3r1 and acaca highlight insulin signaling and lipid metabolism as core metabolic drivers. Collectively, these findings reveal that hepatic repair in P. anteanalis depends on a dynamic balance between immune suppression and metabolic activation. The coordinated regulation between the attaching and main livers illustrates an evolutionarily adaptive mechanism for maintaining liver function in teleosts. • The attaching liver did not regenerate within four months after complete removal in Pareuchiloglanis anteanalis . • Transcriptomics showed immune-related enrichment at 1 month and metabolic pathway enrichment at 4 months after resection. • Immune- and metabolism-related genes exhibited distinct expression patterns between attaching and main livers after resection.