Gene Expression in Black Tiger Prawns Following Intramuscular Injection of β-gal Plasmid

Abstract

Gene expression in black tiger prawns (Penaeus monodon) was studied following intra-muscular injection of CMVβGal plasmid into the second abdominal segment. We used an in situ staining technique to detect β-gal expression in one- and three-month-old injected prawns. We found that only one of the three-month-old prawns expressed the marker gene (2 days after injection), and the site of expression was confined to the sixth abdominal segment away from the injection site. We repeated the experiment on a new batch of three-month-old prawns, but using fluorometric determination technique. This time we found that β-gal expression was detected (6/42) at the site of injection after 2, 7, and 14 days. In two other test samples, transgene expression was detected in the sixth abdominal segment only, further confirming the possibility of injected DNA dispersal. The results of the study also suggest that direct gene transfer is a feasible technique in black tiger prawns.