title: A Single Injection of Hypertrophied Androgenic Gland Cells Produces All-Female Aquaculture.
abstract: Monosex culture, common in animal husbandry, enables gender-specific management. Here, production of all-female prawns (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) was achieved by a novel biotechnology comprising three steps: (a) A single injection of suspended hypertrophied androgenic gland cells caused fully functional sex reversal of females into "neo-males" bearing the WZ genotype; (b) crossing neo-males with normal females (WZ) yielded genomically validated WW females; and (c) WW females crossed with normal males (ZZ) yielded all-female progeny. This is the first sustainable biotechnology for large-scale all-female crustacean aquaculture. The approach is particularly suited to species in which females are superior to males and offers seedstock protection, thereby ensuring a quality seed supply. Our technology will thus revolutionize not only the structure of the crustacean aquaculture industry but can also be applied to other sectors. Finally, the production of viable and reproducible females lacking the Z chromosome questions its role, with respect to sexuality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, 84105, Beer Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.affiliation: Enzootic HK, Ltd., Unit 1109, 11/F, Kowloon Centre, 33 Ashley Road, Tsimshatsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Ohad
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Rosen
authors.affiliation: Enzootic HK, Ltd., Unit 1109, 11/F, Kowloon Centre, 33 Ashley Road, Tsimshatsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Brit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Eilam
authors.affiliation: Enzootic HK, Ltd., Unit 1109, 11/F, Kowloon Centre, 33 Ashley Road, Tsimshatsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Dudu
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Azulay
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, 84105, Beer Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Eliahu D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Aflalo
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, 84105, Beer Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Rivka
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Manor
authors.affiliation: Enzootic HK, Ltd., Unit 1109, 11/F, Kowloon Centre, 33 Ashley Road, Tsimshatsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Assaf
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shechter
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, 84105, Beer Sheva, Israel. sagia@bgu.ac.il.|The National Institute for Biotechnology in the Negev, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, 84105, Beer Sheva, Israel. sagia@bgu.ac.il.
authors.forename: Amir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sagi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017756:Aquaculture / Q000379:methods*; D049628:Body Size; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D005260:Female; D059785:Karyotype; D008297:Male; D000072741:Maternal Inheritance; D008845:Microinjections; D033541:Palaemonidae / Q000235:genetics*; D012730:Sex Chromosomes / Q000737:chemistry*; D019849:Sex Determination Processes
keywords: All-female population; Androgenic gland; Appendix masculina; Hypertrophied androgenic gland (hAG) cells; Prawn; Sex reversal