Method of producing infertile fish and egg-producing aquatic animals and of delivering compounds into eggs and embryos

Abstract

Methods for the production of reproductively sterile fish and aquatic animals for aquaculture, the aquarium trade, and control of invasive species are described. The methods include disruption of gonadal development through the administration of compounds that lead to the failure of fertile gonadal development. Compounds may be delivered to the eggs prior to fertilization or water activation or post fertilization and water activation by contacting unfertilized or pre-water-activated fertilized eggs or fertilized eggs in an immersion medium including the compound of interest. Compounds may be conjugated with a molecular transporter compound effective for chorionic transport of the conjugate. The compounds may be antisense Morpholino oligomers that are capable of effectively suppressing the expression of the dead end gene or other essential genes for germ cell development in fish and other egg-producing aquatic animals.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for producing reproductively sterile fish, said method comprising immersing, in an immersion medium comprising a compound which disrupts gonad development, fish egg(s) selected from the group consisting of unfertilized egg(s), pre-water-activated fertilized egg(s) and fertilized egg(s) and wherein said compound is conjugated with a molecular transporter if the egg(s) are fertilized egg(s). 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the compound is selected from the group consisting of antibodies, proteins, peptides, RNAs and DNAs. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said compound is an anti-sense Morpholino oligomer. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the anti-sense Morpholino oligomer suppresses expression of a gene essential for gonadal development in the fish 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the anti-sense Morpholino oligomer suppresses expression of the dead end, nanos, vasa, gnrh or fsh receptor gene in the fish. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the anti-sense Morpholino oligomer suppresses expression of the dead end gene in the fish. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the anti-sense Morpholino oligomer comprises an oligomer selected from the group consisting of oligomers of SEQ ID NOS: 1-4 and variants thereof. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the anti-sense Morpholino oligomer comprises an oligomer selected from the group consisting of oligomers of SEQ ID NOS: 1, SEQ ID NOS: 2, SEQ ID NOS: 3 and SEQ ID NOS: 4. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the egg(s) are fertilized egg(s) and wherein the anti-sense Morpholino oligomer is conjugated with a molecular transporter comprising an octaguanidine dendrimer comprising a triazine core moiety. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the molecular transporter comprises 2-[(4-nitrophenyl)oxycarbonylhexamethylenecarbonylpiperazinyl]-4,6-bis {di[di(trifluoroacetamido-hexyl)-aminocarbonyloxyethyl]amino}triazine. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein said dead end gene comprises at least one of salmonidae, moronidae, and cichlidae dead end genes. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the anti-sense Morpholino oligomer comprises an oligomer of SEQ ID NO: 1. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the anti-sense Morpholino oligomer comprises an oligomer of SEQ ID NO: 2. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the anti-sense Morpholino oligomer comprises an oligomer of SEQ ID NO: 3. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the anti-sense Morpholino oligomer comprises an oligomer of SEQ ID NO: 4.