The sex-determining gene in tiger pufferfish (fugu)

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24380102
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: General fisheries
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: KIKUCHI Kiyoshi 東京大学, 農学生命科学研究科, 准教授 (20292790)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): TASUMI Satoshi 東京大学, 大学院農学生命科学研究科, 特任助教 (90359646) ; SUETAKE Hiroaki 福井県立大学, 海洋生物資源学部, 准教授 (00334326)
• Research Collaborator: MIZUNO Naoki 東京大学, 大学院農学生命科学研究科, 技術専門職員 ; JYO Yuka 東京大学, 大学院農学生命科学研究科, 技術専門職員 ; FUJITA Masashi 東京大学, 大学院農学生命科学研究科, 技術職員
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 性決定 / 生殖 / 遺伝 / 遺伝的多様性

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Sex determination in fish is often genetic, where segregation of sex-determining (SD) locus assigns the phenotypic　sex. In these species, SD genes can be used for sex identification, potentially providing　important information regarding the ecology and conservation of many wild species, as well as management of　cultured species. However, no SD gene had been identified in aquaculture species at the time when this project started. We investigated fugu (Tiger pufferfish) that is one of the most important aquaculture fish in Japan. We provide a line of evidences showing that a SNP in the Amhr2 gene determines phenotypic sex in fugu. In addition, for high-throughput sex identification of fugu, we developed an efficient assay for this SNP site. Moreover, we successfully produced all-male population of fugu through marker-assisted selection.

Free Research Field

魚類遺伝学