Regarding the cell-mediated response related genes, NCCRP-1, TCR-γ, CD4, and CD8 were up-regulated in the sea bass brain with higher levels of NCCRP1 and TCR-γ upon infection with the mutant isolate at 3 dpi, which could be related to the up-regulation of IL-1b. Here, NCCRP1 is linked to infection.