Laboratory of biotechnologies in aquaculture

Head of the laboratory:
Yuiry Rud’
Ph.D of Biological Sciences, Senior Research Scientist
mob.: +38(097)953-80-80
e-mail (head): This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The laboratory of biotechnologies in aquaculture was created in 2002 by the laureate of the State Prize of Ukraine in Science and Technics, Academician of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences (RANS), Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor Buchatsky Leonid Petrovych. The aim of the laboratory is application of genomic and proteomic techniques for increasing fish productivity including the use of recombinant DNA and stem cell technologies, production of unisexual fish populations, introduction of molecular-biochemical, molecular and cryobiological studies in aquaculture, development of effective methods for diagnostics and prevention of infectious fish diseases.

The importance of the laboratory work is related to the fast development of aquaculture and introduction of novel biotechnologies for meeting the world demands in aquaculture products. The biotechnologies in aquaculture are aimed at solving such important problems as: improvement of fish population genetic control, conservation of biological diversity, restoration of rare and endangered fish species, biosafety, control of infectious fish diseases, immunology and genetic engineering.

The laboratory uses following methods: production of embryonic stem cells and their cultivation, cryopreservation of genital products, wide spectrum of molecular-biological and biochemical methods. Modern biotechnologies allow increasing fish growth rate, increasing their resistance to infectious diseases, affecting their reproductive processes, producing improved hybrids. The application of biotechnologies in aquaculture also contributes to the study of fundamental problems in ichthyology, developmental biology, immunology, microbiology, virology, etc.

Major areas of the laboratory activities:

1. development of diagnostic test-systems for the identification of infectious fish diseases;
2. study of the immunomodulating properties of novel biologically active substances and preparation and their introduction into aquaculture;
3. fundamental studies in gender genetics, polyploidy and distant hybridization;
4. obtaining distant hybrids with the aid of disperm androgenesis and alkylated DNA;
5. use of passaged cultures of fish cells in the study of “pathogen-host” immunological interactions;
6. isolation of spermatogonial stem cells and recipient transplantation for improving the genetic properties of aquaculture objects, xenotransplantation;
7. improvement of cryopreservation methods for fish genital cells.

Propositions of services for individuals and legal entities:

• molecular express-diagnostics of infectious fish diseases (see the Table);
• recommendations on the application of immunomodulating drugs;
• procedure of distant hybridization;
• search for genital DNA-markers for the express-diagnostics of sex in valuable fish species;
• use of indirect feminization method and obtaining the special unisexual fish brood stocks for the need of fish egg production;
• cryopreservation and storage of brood fish genital products.

During the laboratory existence, we developed the diagnostic systems based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the identification of viral and bacterial fish diseases, which according to the International Office of Epizootics (OIE) are especially dangerous for the objects of modern aquaculture.

We developed a PCR method for sex diagnostics in rainbow trout, Danube salmon and European grayling. The identification of genotypic males is a key stage in the process of hormonal sex reversion and production of reversant males for further fertilization of native females for obtaining a 100% unisexual population.

The laboratory developed and currently works on the dehydration-vitrification method of fish sperm freezing, due to which we increased the efficiency of cryobiological studies more than by two-fold with the aid of significant decrease in time and material necessary for getting the necessary result.

List of infectious fish disease agents and diagnostic test-systems in the laboratory of biotechnologies in aquaculture of the Institute of Fisheries NAAS

№	Infectious agent	Fish species	Diagnostic method
Viral diseases
1	Infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV)	Salmonids	RT-PCR(m)
2	Hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV)	Salmonids	RT-PCR(m)
3	Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV)	Salmonids	RT-PCR(m)
4	Spring viremia of carp virus (SVCV)	Cyprinids	RT-PCR
5	Carp herpes virus  (СyHV, KHV)	Cyprinids	PCR
6	Sturgeon herpes virus (AcHV)	Осетрові	PCR
7	Sturgeon iridovirus (WSIV)	Осетрові	PCR
8	Channel catfish herpes virus (CCV)	Ictalurids
Bacterial diseases
9	Bacterial kidney disease (BKD) Renibacterium salmoninarum	Salmonids	PCR(m)*
10	FurunculosisAeromonas salmonicida	Salmonids	PCR(m)
11	Enteric redmouth disease Yersinia ruckeri	Salmonids	PCR(m)
12	Bacterial hemorrhagic septicemia  Aeromonashydrophila	Cyprinids	PCR(m)
13	PseudomonosisPseudomonas sp.	Cyprinids	PCR
14	Bacterial cold water disease (BCWD) Flavobacterium psychrophila	Salmonids	PCR
15	Columnaris disease Flavobacterium columnarae	Salmonids	PCR(m)
16	Bacterial catfish septicemia  Edwardsiella ictaluri	Ictalurids	PCR
17	Vibriosis Vibrio anguillarum	Ictalurids Salmonids	PCR
Parasites
18	Proliferative kidney disease Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae	Salmonids	PCR
19	Whirling disease Myxobolus cerebralis	Salmonids	PCR

* possibility of the identification by multiplex PCR method