Potential of Genome Editing to Improve Aquaculture Breeding and Production

Publication date: Available online 19 July 2019Source: Trends in GeneticsAuthor(s): Remi L. Gratacap, Anna Wargelius, Rolf Brudvik Edvardsen, Ross D. HoustonAquaculture is the fastest growing food production sector and is rapidly becoming the primary source of seafood for human diets. Selective breeding programs are enabling genetic improvement of production traits, such as disease resistance, but progress is limited by the heritability of the trait and generation interval of the species. New breeding technologies, such as genome editing using CRISPR/Cas9 have the potential to expedite sustainable genetic improvement in aquaculture. Genome editing can rapidly introduce favorable changes to the genome, such as fixing alleles at existing trait loci, creating de novo alleles, or introducing alleles from other strains or species. The high fecundity and external fertilization of most aquaculture species can facilitate genome editing for research and application at a scale that is not possible in farmed terrestrial animals.

Source: Trends in Genetics - July 20, 2019 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: research