Molecular basis and genetic improvement of economically important traits in aquaculture animals

Abstract

Aquaculture has been believed to be a major Chinese contribution to the world. In recent 20 years, genome and other genetic technologies have promoted significant advances in basic studies on molecular basis and genetic improvement of aquaculture animals, and complete genomes of some main aquaculture animals have been sequenced or announced to be sequenced since the beginning of this century. Here, we review some significant breakthrough progress of aquaculture genetic improvement technologies including genome technologies, somatic cell nuclear transfer and stem cell technologies, outline the molecular basis of several economically important traits including reproduction, sex, growth, disease resistance, cold tolerance and hypoxia tolerance, and present a series of candidate trait-related genes. Finally, some application cases of genetic improvement are introduced in aquaculture animals, especially in China, and several development trends are highlighted in the near future.

Evolutionary history of two divergent Dmrt1 genes reveals two rounds of polyploidy origins in gibel carp

“…In contrast to other unisexual all-female vertebrate animals, males have been discovered from the natural triploid populations in northeast Asia (Jiang et al, 2013), Russia (Abramenko et al, 2004), Greece (Liasko et al, 2010) and Croatia (Jakovlic and Gui, 2011), and multiple reproduction modes, including sexual reproduction, gynogenesis, or even androgenesis, have been demonstrated by experimental propagation and molecular marker analysis to coexist in the polyploid gibel carp (Gui and Zhou, 2010;Wang et al, 2011;Zhou et al, 2000b). Even though significant advances have been obtained in genetic basis and breeding application (Gui and Zhou, 2010;Gui and Zhu, 2012), some key evolutionary enigmas, such as the occurrence time and historical process of polyploidy, remain unknown in the polyploid gibel carp.…”

High male incidence and evolutionary implications of triploid form in northeast Asia Carassius auratus complex

“…Recently, along with cytogenetic and molecular marker development, it has been extensively observed in many countries of the Eurasian continent, such as in Britain, Italy, Germany (Hänfling et al, 2005), Hungary (Tóth et al, 2005), Greece (Liousia et al, 2008), Czech Republic (Kalous et al, 2007;Veteŝník et al, 2007), Kazakhstan (Sakai et al, 2009), and Croatia (Jakovlić and Gui, 2011). In the past decade, a lot of genetic knowledge including molecular basis of reproduction trait and numerous polymorphic DNA markers has been investigated and characterized from the triploid form (Gui and Zhou, 2010;Gui and Zhu, 2012). Similar to other polyploid salamanders, frogs and fish (Lampert and Schartl, 2010;Schlupp, 2005;Stöck et al, 2012), the triploid form can also reproduce by sperm-dependent gynogenesis, and many diverse gynogenetic clones have been discriminated by different genetic markers, such as transferrin Yang et al, 2001, RAPD and SCAR markers (Zhou et al, 2001(Zhou et al, , 2000b, microsatellite (Guo and Gui, 2008) and mtDNA sequence (Apalikova et al, 2008;Brykov et al, 2005;Li and Gui, 2008).…”

Extensive diversification of MHC in Chinese giant salamanders Andrias davidianus (Anda-MHC) reveals novel splice variants

“…Andrias davidianus ranavirus (ADRV), an emerging viral pathogen, is associated with mass mortality in farmed salamander Zhang and Gui, 2012). To establish effective measures for the disease control, the development of genetic markers related to pathogen resistance is of great importance (Gui and Zhu, 2012).…”