Mass Production of Doubled Haploids in Japanese Flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus

Abstract

Doubled haploid (DH) individuals have many applications in fish genetic and genomic research, as well as in fish breeding programs. Mass production of DHs is difficult because of an extremely low induction rate. Here, we report the mass production of mitotic gynogenetic DHs in Japanese flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus, an economically important marine‐culture fish species. Four groups of mitotic gynogenetic DHs were induced from four females of different genetic backgrounds. The heterozygous clonal female group had the highest hatching rate, lowest abnormality rate, and highest homozygosity rate. Early growth comparisons showed that the body weight and total length of the heterozygous clonal female group were the largest among the three DH groups (P < 0.05). At 6 mo postinduction, an estimated 10,766 DHs survived, and a notable percentage of male DHs (3.34–23.33%) were detected. This successful mass production of DHs lays the foundation for extensive use of DHs in Japanese flounder breeding and research.

Progress in Aquaculture Genetics and Breeding in China

“…Another endemic Chinese species that has attracted more recent attention is the freshwater sleeper, Odontobutis potamophila . H. Zhang, Zhang et al (), H. Zhang, Zhao et al (), and X. Zhang et al () identified and characterized single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of insulin‐like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF‐1R) genes in O. potamophila . They found that a SNP site in the intron of IGF‐1R was associated with growth performance and suggested that this SNP site could be used in marker‐assisted selection (MAS) (H. Zhang, Zhang et al ; H. Zhang, Zhao et al ; X. Zhang et al ).…”

“…H. Zhang, Zhang et al (), H. Zhang, Zhao et al (), and X. Zhang et al () identified and characterized single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of insulin‐like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF‐1R) genes in O. potamophila . They found that a SNP site in the intron of IGF‐1R was associated with growth performance and suggested that this SNP site could be used in marker‐assisted selection (MAS) (H. Zhang, Zhang et al ; H. Zhang, Zhao et al ; X. Zhang et al ). Likewise, microsatellite loci were examined for potential use in MAS in pearl oyster, Pinctada fucata martensii , which is an important commercial bivalve used for the production of marine pearls in China and Japan (Zhan et al ).…”

“…H. Zhang, Zhang et al (), H. Zhang, Zhao et al (), and X. Zhang et al () reported a strategy for mass production of mitotic gynogenetic doubled haploids (DHs) in the Japanese flounder, P. olivaceus . They compared the results of mitotic gynogenetic DHs induced from four females of different genetic backgrounds, including a wild‐type female, a meiotic gynogenetic female, a heterozygous mitotic gynogenetic female, and a heterozygous clonal female.…”

“…The heterozygous clonal female group had the highest hatching rate, lowest abnormality rate, and highest homozygosity rate. They hypothesized that high homozygosity indicated fewer deleterious recessive genes, and therefore, the mortality of the DH progeny from homozygous deleterious mutations might decline, resulting in high survival rate (H. Zhang, Zhang et al ; H. Zhang, Zhao et al ; X. Zhang et al ). This strategy of successful mass production of DHs could help in research and breeding programs in the Japanese flounder.…”

“…Other papers in this special issue are focused on the characterization of important genes potentially affecting aquaculture performance in various organisms (Jin et al ; Ping et al ; Shan et al ; H. Zhang, Zhang et al ; H. Zhang, Zhao et al ; X. Zhang et al ). Shan et al () cloned the crustacean cardioactive peptide (CCAP) gene from eyestalks of the oriental river prawn, Macrobrachium nipponense , and studied its expression profile under hypoxic conditions.…”