The Onychostoma macrolepis have a unique survival strategy, overwintering in caves and returning to the river for reproduction in summer. The current knowledge on the developmental status of its testes during winter and summer is still undiscovered. We performed RNA-seq analysis on O. macrolepis testes between January and June, using the published genome (NCBI, ASM1243209v1). Through KEGG and GO enrichment analysis, we were able to identify 2111 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and demonstrate their functions in signaling networks associated with the development of organism. At the genomic level, we found that during the overwintering phase, genes associated with cell proliferation (ccnb1, spag5, hdac7) were downregulated while genes linked to testicular fat metabolism (slc27a2, scd, pltp) were upregulated. This indicates suppression of both mitosis and meiosis, thereby inhibiting energy expenditure through genetic regulation of testicular degeneration. Furthermore, in January, we observed the regulation of autophagy and apoptosis (becn1, casp13), which may have the function of protecting reproductive organs and ensuring their maturity for the breeding season. The results provide a basis for the development of specialized feed formulations to regulate the expression of specific genes, or editing of genes during the fish egg stage, to ensure that the testes of O. macrolepis can mature more efficiently after overwintering, thereby enhancing reproductive performance.

大鳞甲鱼有独特的生存策略，在洞穴中越冬，夏季返回河流繁殖。目前关于其睾丸在冬季和夏季发育状况的知识仍未被发现。我们利用已发表的基因组（NCBI，ASM1243209v1）对 1 月至 6 月间的大鳞卵睾丸进行了 RNA 测序分析。通过KEGG和GO富集分析，我们能够识别2111个差异表达基因（DEG）并证明它们在与生物体发育相关的信号网络中的功能。在基因组水平上，我们发现在越冬阶段，与细胞增殖相关的基因（ccnb1、spag5、hdac7）下调，而与睾丸脂肪代谢相关的基因（slc27a2、scd、pltp）上调。这表明有丝分裂和减数分裂受到抑制，从而通过睾丸退化的遗传调节抑制能量消耗。此外，我们在一月份观察到自噬和凋亡的调节（becn1，casp13），这可能具有保护生殖器官并确保其在繁殖季节成熟的功能。研究结果为开发专门的饲料配方来调节特定基因的表达，或在鱼卵阶段进行基因编辑，以确保越冬后大鳞鱼的睾丸能够更有效地成熟，从而提高繁殖性能提供基础。 。