Fish Sexual Maturation via Leptin Suppression at One Year
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aquaculture methods fail to promote sexual maturity in fish, particularly bastard halibut, within one year of age, limiting breeding efficiency and increasing production costs.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the suppression of leptin receptor and leptin functional expression in fish through genome editing techniques such as CRISPR/Cas9, ZFN, or TALEN systems, or using RNA molecules like siRNA, shRNA, and miRNA, or antibodies to accelerate sexual maturation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If fish are raised under normal aquaculture conditions, then growth and survival are maintained at normal levels, but sexual maturity is not achieved within one year (requiring two or more years)
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the physiological parameters of the fish by suppressing leptin receptor or leptin expression through genome editing (CRISPR/Cas9, ZFN, TALEN) or RNA interference (siRNA, shRNA, miRNA). This molecular parameter change accelerates sexual maturation from the normal 2-3 years to approximately 1 year, directly resolving the time loss problem while maintaining reliable maturation through controlled genetic modification.
2Productivity
If fish sexual maturation is accelerated through genetic modification, then breeding efficiency is improved and generation period is shortened, but the complexity of the breeding system increases due to genome editing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces complex traditional aquaculture management systems with molecular biological tools (genome editing and RNA interference) to control sexual maturation. This substitution of mechanical/aquacultural control with molecular mechanisms simplifies the overall system by directly manipulating the biological clock at the gene level, thereby improving breeding efficiency while the complexity is confined to the molecular toolset rather than system-wide complexity.
3Loss of time
If leptin receptor or leptin expression is suppressed, then sexual maturation is accelerated to one year of age, but functional expression of these proteins is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts or removes the functional expression of leptin or leptin receptor through gene knockout (CRISPR/Cas9, ZFN, TALEN) or RNA interference (siRNA, shRNA, miRNA). By taking out the normal function of these proteins, the invention eliminates the physiological barrier to early sexual maturation, achieving one-year maturity while the reduced protein levels are an acceptable trade-off for the significant time savings and breeding efficiency gains.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a method for promoting sexual maturation of fish, the method including a step of suppressing functional expression of at least one of a leptin receptor and a leptin of the fish. An object of the present invention is to provide the method for promoting the sexual maturation of the fish in order to obtain individuals of fish capable of ovulation or spermiation at one year of age at a higher rate than in nature or under normal aquaculture conditions.