Biotechnological Application of Transgenic Fish Technology in Aquaculture

Fish into which foreign DNA (transgene) have been artificially introduced and integrated in their genomes are called transgenic fish. Since the mid 1980s, introduction of desired foreign DNA into unfertilized or newly fertilized eggs by microinjection or electroporation has produced many species of transgenic fish. More recently, infecting newly fertilized eggs or the immature gonads of male fish with replication-defective pantropic retroviral vectors carrying the desired foreign DNA has also produced transgenic finfish. These transgenic fish could serve as excellent experimental models for basic scientific investigations as well as biotechnological applications. In this paper, we will review the current status of the transgenic fish technology and provide data from our own research to show the feasibility of producing disease resistant fish strains for aquaculture via manipulation of antimicrobial peptide genes. © 2002, The Japanese Society of Fisheries Science. All rights reserved.