Harnessing genomics for identifying disease-resistant eels: Advances, applications, and sustainable aquaculture

Globally, eel aquaculture holds significant economic and ecological importance, but it faces severe challenges from various diseases that hinder its sustainable development. This review aims to systematically explore how genomics can be utilized to enhance the disease resistance of eels, thereby promoting sustainable aquaculture practices. To achieve this goal, we first review the current status of eel aquaculture and the main disease threats, and then focus on the application of genomic technologies in understanding eel disease resistance. We elaborate on the progress in genome sequencing of multiple eel species, which provides a fundamental resource for identifying disease-resistant traits. We discuss the role of functional genomics tools such as CRISPR-Cas9 in accelerating the screening of favorable disease-resistant traits. We also detail how immune system genomics (e.g., genes like Tollip, interferon, and MHC), genome-wide association studies, and the interaction between epigenetics and the environment contribute to the identification of disease-resistant traits. In addition, this review analyzes the applications of marker-assisted selection and genomic selection in eel breeding programs, as well as biotechnological intervention methods such as gene editing, probiotics, and vaccine development as novel strategies to improve disease resistance. Finally, we present future prospects for eel disease-resistant breeding efforts.