Germ cell manipulation in farmed fishes

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Biology
• Aquaculture
• Developmental Biology

Background:

• Germline stem cells in teleosts can colonize recipient genital ridges and produce gametes.
• Sterilization methods like triploidization or dnd gene manipulation ensure production of only donor-derived gametes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the potential of germ cell transplantation for aquaculture and genetic resource preservation in teleosts.
• To demonstrate the generation of surrogate broodstock capable of producing heterospecific gametes.

Main Methods:

• Injection of donor testicular or ovarian cell suspension into newly hatched teleost larvae.
• Sterilization of recipient larvae via triploidization or dnd gene knockdown/knockout.
• Transplantation of cryopreserved germline stem cells into recipient fish.

Main Results:

• Donor-derived germ cells successfully migrated, integrated, and initiated gametogenesis in recipient genital ridges.
• Sterilized recipients produced exclusively donor-derived gametes, establishing surrogate broodstock.
• Cryopreserved germ cells regenerated functional gametes upon transplantation, enabling offspring production.

Conclusions:

• Germ cell transplantation is a viable technology for generating surrogate broodstock in teleosts.
• This method facilitates long-term preservation of genetic resources from elite fish strains.
• The technology offers solutions for producing gametes from large-bodied or difficult-to-maintain fish species and accelerating selective breeding.