Transcriptome and targeted metabolomics revealed that cholesterol nutrition promotes ovarian development by regulating steroid hormone metabolism in swimming crab

Cholesterol, which acts as a substrate for the synthesis of ovarian sex hormones, could promote ovarian development. However, crustaceans cannot synthesize cholesterol and must obtain it from diet for growth, molt and gonadal development. Three isonitrogenous and isolipidic diets were formulated to contain 0.12%, 1.00% and 2.50% cholesterol, respectively. The results showed that dietary 1.00% and 2.50% cholesterol significantly increased percent weight gain (PWG) and specific growth rate (SGR), moreover, crabs fed diet with 1.00% cholesterol had the highest gonadosomatic index (GSI) among all treatments. Cholesterol (CHO) and triglyceride (TG) concentrations in tissues significantly increased with dietary cholesterol levels increasing from 0.12% to and 2.50%. Targeted metabolomics analyses indicated that crabs fed 1.00% cholesterol diet exhibited higher steroid hormones, such as progesterone, pregnenolone, estrone, estradiol and estriol than those fed the other diets. In addition, crabs fed the 1.00% cholesterol diet significantly up-regulated the expression of genes related to cholesterol transport, steroid hormone synthesis and ovarian development in hepatopancreas and ovary. Transcriptomics analyses revealed that DEGs (differentially expressed genes) in crabs fed 1.00% cholesterol diet were associated with “metabolism of xenobiotics by cytochrome P450″ and “progesterone-mediated oocyte maturation”. In conclusion, the results of present study demonstrated that dietary 1.00% cholesterol promoted growth and ovarian development by improving the cholesterol transport and steroid hormone synthesis for female swimming crabs. •Dietary cholesterol could improve the cholesterol transport of swimming crab.•Dietary 1.00% cholesterol could promote steroid hormones secretion.•Dietary 1.00% cholesterol affected “progesterone-mediated oocyte maturation” pathway.•Dietary 1.00% cholesterol had a positive effect on ovarian development of swimming crab.