First Data on Sexual Dimorphic Growth of Cultured Pacific Bluefin Tuna, Thunnus orientalis (Temminck et Schlegel), and Its Sex Manipulation by Treatment with an Aromatase Inhibitor

Abstract

Tuna (genus Thunnus), particularly Pacific bluefin tuna (T. orientalis; PBT), are commercially important fish in the aquaculture industry worldwide. The objective of this study was to investigate sexual dimorphism in the growth performance of aquaculture-produced PBT and develop techniques for its sex manipulation, for the first time in tuna. A comparison of the body size between sexes revealed that male-cultured PBTs were larger than females at harvest. We also confirmed that cyp19a1a (encoding a gonadal aromatase) expression increased specifically in the genotypic female PBT gonads during sex differentiation. This suggested that aromatase plays an important role in ovarian differentiation and that the suppression of aromatase activity may effectively induce masculinization in genotypic females. Therefore, we administered letrozole—an aromatase inhibitor (AI)—into sexually undifferentiated PBT through the oral route. AI administration resulted in a 100% sex reversal of genotypic females into phenotypic males at the molecular level. Our results provide the basis for future studies on the establishment of mono-sex male production technology in PBT, which would help improve the productivity of closed-cycle PBT aquaculture. Furthermore, this study offers important insights into the understanding of the sex-wise growth of tuna species in aquacultural settings, and developing sex manipulation techniques.