Development of a chub mackerel with less-aggressive fry stage by genome editing of arginine vasotocin receptor V1a2

Hirofumi Ohga; Koki Shibata; Ryo Sakanoue; Takuma Ogawa; Hajime Kitano; Satoshi Kai; Kohei Ohta; Naoki Nagano; Tomoya Nagasako; Seiichi Uchida; Tetsushi Sakuma; Takashi Yamamoto; Sangwan Kim; Kosuke Tashiro; Satoru Kuhara; Koichiro Gen; Atushi Fujiwara; Yukinori Kazeto; Takanori Kobayashi; Michiya Matsuyama

doi:10.1038/s41598-023-30259-x

Development of a chub mackerel with less-aggressive fry stage by genome editing of arginine vasotocin receptor V1a2

Sci Rep. 2023 Feb 23;13(1):3190. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-30259-x.

Authors

Hirofumi Ohga¹, Koki Shibata², Ryo Sakanoue², Takuma Ogawa², Hajime Kitano³, Satoshi Kai², Kohei Ohta², Naoki Nagano⁴, Tomoya Nagasako⁵, Seiichi Uchida⁵, Tetsushi Sakuma⁶, Takashi Yamamoto⁶, Sangwan Kim⁷, Kosuke Tashiro⁷, Satoru Kuhara⁷, Koichiro Gen⁸, Atushi Fujiwara⁹, Yukinori Kazeto¹⁰, Takanori Kobayashi¹¹, Michiya Matsuyama¹²

Affiliations

¹ Aqua-Bioresource Innovation Center (ABRIC) Karatsu Satellite, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Saga, 847-0132, Japan.
² Laboratory of Marine Biology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan.
³ Fishery Third Group, Marine Fisheries Research and Development Center, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency (FRA), Kanagawa, 221-8529, Japan.
⁴ Laboratory of Aquaculture, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, 889-2192, Japan.
⁵ Human Interface Laboratory, Factory of Information Science and Electrical Engineering, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan.
⁶ Molecular Genetics Laboratory, Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, 739-8526, Japan.
⁷ Laboratory of Molecular Gene Technics, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, 812-8581, Japan.
⁸ Planning and Coordination Department, Fisheries Technology Institute, FRA, Nagasaki, 851-2213, Japan.
⁹ Aquatic Breeding Division, Aquaculture Research Department, Fisheries Technology Institute, FRA, Mie, 516-0193, Japan.
¹⁰ Fisheries Technology Institute, Minamiizu Field Station, FRA, Shizuoka, 415-0156, Japan.
¹¹ Aquatic Breeding Division, Aquaculture Research Department, Fisheries Technology Institute, FRA, Kanagawa, 236-8648, Japan.
¹² ABRIC, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan. rinya_m@agr.kyushu-u.ac.jp.

Abstract

Genome editing is a technology that can remarkably accelerate crop and animal breeding via artificial induction of desired traits with high accuracy. This study aimed to develop a chub mackerel variety with reduced aggression using an experimental system that enables efficient egg collection and genome editing. Sexual maturation and control of spawning season and time were technologically facilitated by controlling the photoperiod and water temperature of the rearing tank. In addition, appropriate low-temperature treatment conditions for delaying cleavage, shape of the glass capillary, and injection site were examined in detail in order to develop an efficient and robust microinjection system for the study. An arginine vasotocin receptor V1a2 (V1a2) knockout (KO) strain of chub mackerel was developed in order to reduce the frequency of cannibalistic behavior at the fry stage. Video data analysis using bioimage informatics quantified the frequency of aggressive behavior, indicating a significant 46% reduction (P = 0.0229) in the frequency of cannibalistic behavior than in wild type. Furthermore, in the V1a2 KO strain, the frequency of collisions with the wall and oxygen consumption also decreased. Overall, the manageable and calm phenotype reported here can potentially contribute to the development of a stable and sustainable marine product.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Aggression
Animals
Cyprinidae* / genetics
Gene Editing
Perciformes* / genetics
Vasotocin / genetics

Substances

Vasotocin