Xenogeneic transplantation of spermatogonia from banana shrimp (Fenneropenaeus merguiensis) into white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei)

Banana shrimp (Fenneropenaeus merguiensis) is one of the famous shrimps for the consumer, while larvae of F. merguiensis for farming depend on wild-caught broodstock. On the other hand, white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) is propagated from a culture broodstock and has a high growth rate. Currently, spermatogonia transplantation is one of the alternative methods to preserve and propagate the offspring of several vertebrates. Transplantation technology has not been reported in shrimp. This study provided information on the transplantation technique in shrimp using F. merguiensis as a donor and L. vannamei as a recipient. Spermatogonia were prepared from wild-caught F. merguiensis, 11-12 cm in length, and the cells were 8-10 mu m in diameter. The spermatogonia were injected into postlarvae days 4, 9, and 16 of L. vannamei. The PKH-26 fluorescent signal was between the heart and hepatopancreas of the recipient 4 wk post-injection. In addition, the gonad of the recipient contained the proliferated donor germ cells in the gonad of the recipient after 4.5 month post-transplantation, determined by in situ hybridization with a VASA probe. The mature transplanted shrimps had dark spots on the gonad, similar to F. merguiensis's gonad. Then, the donor-derived offspring were achieved after the natural mating of transplanted shrimp. The donor-like morphology of F1 offspring was approximately 70.5%. When the genetics of F1 offspring were clarified and revealed, 2% of F. merguiensis, 28% of L. vannamei, and 70% of the hybrid between F. merguiensis and L. vannamei. The overall results indicated the successful establishment of spermatogonia transplantation in shrimp. The benefit of this work could apply to conserve or produce this shrimp in the future.