Enhanced bacterial disease resistance of transgenic channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus possessing cecropin genes

Rex A Dunham; Gregory W Warr; Amy Nichols; Patricia L Duncan; Brad Argue; Darlene Middleton; Huseyin Kucuktas

doi:10.1007/s10126-002-0024-y

Enhanced bacterial disease resistance of transgenic channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus possessing cecropin genes

Mar Biotechnol (NY). 2002 Jun;4(3):338-44. doi: 10.1007/s10126-002-0024-y.

Authors

Rex A Dunham¹, Gregory W Warr, Amy Nichols, Patricia L Duncan, Brad Argue, Darlene Middleton, Huseyin Kucuktas

Affiliation

¹ Department of Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA. rdunham@acesag.auburn.edu

PMID: 14961267
DOI: 10.1007/s10126-002-0024-y

Abstract

The cecropin B gene from the moth Hyalophora cecropia, driven by the cytomegalovirus promoter, was transferred to the channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus. Transgenic individuals (P1) were mated to produce individuals (F1) that exhibited enhanced disease resistance and survival when challenged with pathogenic bacteria. During the epizootic of Flavobacterium columnare in an earthen pond, the percentage of transgenic individuals containing preprocecropin B construct that survived (100%) was significantly greater (P <0.005) than that of nontransgenic controls (27.3%). Also, when challenged in tanks with Edwardsiella ictaluri, the causative agent of enteric septicemia of catfish, the percentage of transgenic individuals containing catfish IG leader cecropin B construct that survived (40.7%) was significantly greater (P <0.01) than that of nontransgenic controls (14.8%). There were no pleiotropic effects of the transgenes, and growth rates of the transgenic and nontransgenic siblings were not different (P > 0.05). Inheritance of the transgene by the F1 generation, 20.2% to 30.7% was typical of that in studies with transgenic channel catfish.