鳜鱼食性奇特，自开食起终生以活鱼虾为食，通常情况下拒食配合饲料，鳜鱼人工饲料可控养殖问题成为水产界世界级的难题而亟待研究解决。本项目在发现鳜鱼驯食过程涉及脑T1R1启动子甲基化调控和学习记忆基因差异表达的基础上，从离体水平上，利用过表达载体、亚硫酸氢盐测序PCR、实时荧光定量PCR、Western blot、双荧光素酶报告系统及染色质免疫共沉淀等技术，深入研究鳜鱼驯食相关学习记忆因子对T1R1基因mRNA表达、T1R1基因启动子活性及其甲基化模式、甲基转移酶表达及其结合启动子情况的调控作用。从活体水平上，通过颅腔注射与早期印记处理，验证鳜鱼学习记忆因子调控脑T1R1启动子甲基化模式及其与驯食性状表型的关系。通过比较鳜鱼亲代父母本与后代脑T1R1启动子甲基化模式，探讨鳜鱼亲代基于个体学习记忆的驯食性状的后代表观遗传机制问题，为促进易驯食人工饲料鳜鱼新品系成功培育奠定必要的理论基础。

Mandarin fish as an absolutely carnivorous fish, is the most famous high valued fish species in China. Under cultivation, mandarin fish only consume live prey fish throughout their life and refuse dead prey fish or artificial diets. This problem has been widely known as a hard nut to crack in the field of aquaculture in China. The live prey fish for the commercial production of mandarin fish not only consumes large amounts of fry and fingerlings, but also brings pathogens as well as toxic chemical drugs retained in the mandarin fish due to bioconcentration. The intake and utilization of artificial diets as well as growth performance of mandarin fish were different in cultured stocks and wild populations, which were not only related to genetics, but also to learning, memory and adaption to accept artificial diets. Our previous studies have found that the methylation of T1R1 promoter and expression of learning and memory genes in brain were involved in feed habit domestication of mandarin fish. In the present study, the effects of learning and memory factors on T1R1 mRNA expression, T1R1 promoter activities and methylation status, methyltransferase expression and interactions between methyltransferase and T1R1 promoter will be examined by real-time quantitative PCR, Western blot, double luciferase reporter system, bisulfite sequencing PCR and chromatin immunoprecipitation. Correlation analysis between T1R1 promoter methylation pattern and feed habit demostration traits will be evaluated by ICV injection and early imprinting with recombinant protein of learning and memory factors. To investigate the relationship between feed habit domestication traits and epigenetic, the genetic pattern of T1R1 promoter methylation will be analyzed by comparing the methylation status of parents and offspring with different feed habit domestication traits. Our findings could lay the foundation for molecular marker-assisted selective breeding for good families or clones to greatly promote the intake and utilization of artificial diets in mandarin fishes.