Enhancement of Growth in Nile Tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758) Through DNA Transfer

Enhancement of Growth in Nile Tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758) Through DNA Transfer | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Enhancement of Growth in Nile Tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758) Through DNA Transfer Mohammed Yakubu Diyaware, Abubakra Mohammed Waziri, Zanna Barde Mohammed, and 7 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7961907/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background The Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus is a widely cultivated fish throughout the world. The fish is particularly important for aquaculture in Nigeria due to its popularity. Most of the improved tilapia strains were developed through local selection and crossbreeding. The objectives of this study are to investigate the growth performance, proximate composition and DNA fingerprint and genetic variation of O. niloticus containing foreign fish DNA. Methods A study was conducted to enhance the growth performance of the fish by transferring purified DNA into the fish's somatic tissue. Different concentrations of DNA (0, 10, 20, 30, and 40 µg/µl) extracted from the Nile perch ( Lates niloticus ) were injected into the somatic tissue of the tilapia fingerlings. The injected fish were then raised for 120 days in a polyethylene mobile fish pond (2.5 x 1.5 x1.2 deep). Results Fingerlings injected with 40 µg/µl have significantly (P < 0.05) better final weight, weight gain, average daily weight gain, specific growth rate crude protein and ether extract, and metabolizable energy. Gel electrophoresis revealed distinct banding patterns, suggesting differential integration or expression of L . nioloticus DNA fragments among the treated fish. The number of effective alleles (Ne), Shannon's Information Index (I), Expected Heterozygosity (He) and Unbiased Expected Heterozygosity (uHe) were observed to be high in fish containing higher concentration of the L. niloticus DNA. RAPD analysis indicated that each fish exhibited unique banding patterns, indicating complete genetic variation among the treatments. Conclusion Fragmented DNA materials from Lates niloticus can potentially improve growth in Oreochromis niloticus and support the hypothesis that DNA transfer from Nile perch can significantly alter the proximate composition of Nile tilapia, especially by enhancing protein content and metabolizable energy. These changes could offer nutritional, economic, and production benefits in aquaculture, though further investigation into safety, long-term performance, and consumer acceptance is essential. Nile Perch DNA Somatic cell Improvement Fish Aquaculture Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Introduction Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus is one of the world's most widely cultured fish species, particularly in Africa, due to their high adaptability, rapid growth, and ability to thrive in diverse aquatic environments. Egypt is Africa's largest Tilapia producer, accounting for about 80% of the continent's total production (El-Sayed, 2020 ). Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus remains a key species in global aquaculture, but its growth performance has declined in many farmed populations due to genetic stagnation and inbreeding. Traditional selective breeding has been done with limited success in overcoming these challenges. As demand for faster-growing, more efficient fish increases, there is a growing need for advanced techniques like DNA transfer to enhance growth and other economic traits. However, the potential of DNA transfer in improving the growth performance of Nile tilapia is still under-explored, particularly about how it may influence other traits such as growth and nutritional composition. This creates a vital research gap that warrants investigation. The genus Lates belongs to the family Latidae and is of the order Perciform, comprising eleven (11) species that occur in fresh and brackish water. The Nile Perch, Lates niloticus , is a freshwater species indigenous to African rivers and lakes including the Nile, Chad, Senegal, Niger, and Congo River basins. Lates niloticus reaches a maximum length of nearly 2 m, weighing up to 200 kg Kaufman ( 1992 ), and matured fish typically range from 1.21–1.37 m (Wood, 1993) in the wild. According to Hopson (1972) as cited by Shinkafi et al. ( 2013 ), Lates niloticus sexually matures at about 3 years of age. Oreochromis niloticus are equally found in most waters where Lates are found. The fish spawns up to 6 times a year and matures at the age of 2–3 months depending on the condition of the natural water. The growth of Tilapia farming in Nigeria is hindered by challenges such as stunted growth and small-size fish at harvest. This may be caused by their early maturity and high prolificacy, leading to overpopulation in the pond, resulting in poor market value. Many approaches can be used to improve the growth of the fish. One of the methods can be done through transgenesis (gene/DNA transfer). The most common method used to date is the microinjection of DNA/genes into the pronuclei of zygotes of fish Shakweer et al. ( 2023 ). DNA/gene can be manually injected into the skeletal muscles of fish (Wolff et al., 1990 ). According to Sudha et al. ( 2001 ), a foreign gene can be transferred into fish in-vivo by introducing DNA into embryos or directly into the somatic tissues of young or adults. Assem & El-Zaeem ( 2005 ) opined that the direct insertion of DNA into fish muscle is a simple approach that provides faster results and can eliminate the need for screening transgenic individuals and selecting germline carriers. Gene transfer and expression through intramuscular injection of foreign DNA into the skeletal muscles of fish has been achieved by Hansen et al. ( 1991 ), Rahman & Maclean ( 1992 ), Anderson et al. ( 1996 ), Tan & Chan ( 1997 ), Xu et al. ( 1999 ). El-Zaeem, ( 2004 ), El-Zaeem & Assem ( 2004 ) and Hemeida et al. ( 2004 ). Moreover, Sudha et al. ( 2001 ) stated that the expression of muscular injection of DNA was evident in several nonmuscle tissues, such as skin epithelia, pigment cells, blood vessel cells, and neuronlike cells. Several genes have now been introduced into various fish species to enhance growth, resistance to disease, tolerance to freezing, etc (Shears et al., 1991 ; Chatakondi et al., 1995 ; El-Zaeem, 2001 , 2004 ; Dunham et al., 2002 ; El-Zaeem and Assem, 2004 ). According to Dunham et al. (2011), DNA transfer techniques have shown promising results in improving the growth performance of various fish species, including Nile tilapia. In a study by El-Zaeem & Assem ( 2004 ), it was found that injecting shark DNA into the skeletal muscles of Oreochromis niloticus resulted in accelerated growth and improved body composition. Another study by El-Zaeem et al. ( 2011 ) observed higher body weight, feed utilization, and specific growth rate in Oreochromis niloticus injected with Seabream and Artemia salina DNA to enhance salt tolerance. According to El-Zaeem et al. ( 2012a ), growth performance and body composition in red Tilapia injected with shark DNA were superior compared to non-injected Coptodon ( Tilapia ) zilli . El-Zaeem (2012b) reported improvements in growth performance and body composition of grey mullet fingerlings injected with shark DNA. Additionally, Martinez et al. ( 2000 ) reported a 290% food conversion efficiency in transgenic tilapia compared to the control group. Genetically modified O. niloticus showed more than 80% weight increase compared to non-modified strains (El-Zaeem, 2011). Rahman (2001) reported a mean mass of 653 g in O. niloticus containing an exogenous fish growth hormone gene after 7 months of culture, representing a 2.5-fold increase in growth compared with non-transgenic siblings. Rahman et al. ( 2013 ) reported significant improvements in growth rates by 30%, feed conversion efficiency, and overall biomass production in O . niloticus produced through gene transfer. Genetically modified or transgenic Nile tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus ) has been developed to enhance growth rates, disease resistance, and feed efficiency. Studies indicate that genetic modifications can influence the proximate composition of the fish, including moisture, protein, lipid, and ash content. Studies comparing transgenic and non-transgenic tilapia suggest that transgenic variants may exhibit higher protein content and altered lipid profiles, potentially due to enhanced metabolic activity. Several authors reported the proximate composition of Nile Tilapia: Job et al. ( 2015 ), Olopade et al. ( 2016 ), and Otene et al. ( 2024 ). The proximate composition of genetically modified Tilapia has been documented by El-Hawarry ( 2012 ), Kumara et al. ( 2020 ), Suwannatrai et al. ( 2023 ), and El-Zaeem et al. ( 2023 ). Random Aplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) has been successfully used to differentiate species and subspecies of tilapia, such as Oreochromis niloticus , using polymorphic banding patterns generated by random primers (Bardakci & Skibinski, 1994). RAPD is a powerful molecular tool used to generate DNA fingerprints for fish species. It works by amplifying random segments of genomic DNA using short primers, producing unique banding patterns that reflect genetic variation (Dinesh et al., 1993 ; Bardakci & Skibinski, 1994; Ali et al., 2004 ). RAPD serves as both forward and reverse primers, and are usually able to amplify fragments from 1–10 genomic sites simultaneously. They are quick and easy to assay, require a low quantity of DNA with no sequence data for primer construction (Welsh and McCelland, 1990) Microinjection of Genomic DNA (gDNA) into another fish could affect the proximate composition or nutritional profile of the recipient. Proximate analysis of fish helps determine the nutritional profile of the fish and is one of the major indicators of fish quality for the consumption of humans (Jannatun et al ., 2023). Determining proximate composition of genetically modified fish ensures that the fish meat meets food high standards Otene et al. ( 2024 ),and ensures that genetic modification does not negatively impact the nutritional profile, making it a healthy protein source. The objectives of this study are to investigate the growth performance, proximate composition and DNA fingerprint of O. niloticus containing foreign fish DNA. Materials and Methods Study Area The study was conducted at the Teaching and Research fish farm of the Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria. The study area is situated between latitude 11°05’N and longitude 13°05’E, hot and cool periods as well as rainy (wet) and dry seasons. The wet season has a short duration of erratic rainfall of 3–4 months per year with an annual rainfall of 630 mm. During the dry season, ambient temperatures are lower in December and January, ranging from 15–20°C (night), and higher in March to June at 33–47°C (day). The relative humidity ranges between 33.5 to 34.5%. DNA Extraction and Quantification Genomic DNA was extracted from the tissue of Lates niloticus following the protocol described by Baradakci & Skibinski ( 1994 ). Fifty grams (50g) of the tissue were crushed into smaller pieces using a laboratory pestle and mortar and homogenized using a tissue homogenizer. The crushed tissues were then transferred into a microcentrifuge tube containing 50 mM Tris Bis buffer, 100 mM EDTA (pH 8.0), 100 mM NaCl, 0.1% SDS, and 0.5 mg/ml proteinase K, and incubated overnight for the samples to digest. After incubation, DNA was extracted twice for 15–20 minutes with a 1:1 ratio of phenol and chloroform and again twice for 15 min with 24:1 volume of chloroform and isoamyl alcohol. The aqueous phase was then precipitated with 2.5 volumes of 100% DNA grade ethanol in the presence of one-tenth volume of 3.0M sodium acetate (pH 6.0). DNA pellets were washed with 70% DNA-grade ethanol and dissolved in 0.1ml saline sodium citrate (SSC) buffer. The purity and concentration of genomic DNA were determined using an Ultra Violate (UV) Spectrophotometer (Model: Nanodrop 2000/2000c, Thermo-Scientific, USA) at an optical density measurement of 260/280 nm. Experimental Design A total of 675 fingerlings (with a weight range of 101–103.39 g and length of 5–5.8 cm) of Oreochromis niloticus were divided into five groups, with 45 fingerlings in each group. Different concentrations of SSC buffer-based DNA (0 as control, 10, 20, 30, and 40µg/µl) were injected into the somatic tissue of 45 fingerlings per treatment using a thermodynamic micro-syringe and needle in three replications in a complete randomized design. The fingerlings containing the DNA were reared in a 3 x 2 x 1.2m deep polyethylene mobile fish pond. The fish were fed with a 35% crude protein commercial diet for 3 months. Growth Performance of O. niloticus Containing Exogenous DNA At the end of the three-month rearing period, the final weight (g), final length (cm), fish mortality, and quantity of feed applied. We estimated the following growth indices for each treatment: Weight gain (g) = W 2 – W 1, where W 2 and W 1 are the final and initial weight of fish, respectively. Percentage weight gain = W 2 – W 1 x 100 , where W 2 and W 1 are the final and initial weight of fish, respectively. Mean Daily Weight Gain (MDWG) in grams = where = W 2 and W 1 are the final and initial weight of fish, respectively, and t = the culture period (days). Specific Growth Rate (SGR % per day) = where In. logW 2 = natural log of final weight, In.log W 1 = natural log of initial weight, and t = culture period (Busacker et al ., 2012). Feed conversion Ratio (FCR) = Survival (%) = . Proximate Composition of O. niloticus Improves through DNA Transfer Fifty (50) g of fish muscle from each treatment were collected and place in an icepack containing ice flakes and shipped to the Animal Care quality control laboratory, Kano State Nigeria for proximate composition. The proximate composition was conducted in triplicated using a digital Neared Infrared (NIR) Multi-Checker (Model: 21MC11309A06, China) according to AOAC (2005). RAPD Protocol/Fingerprint Analysis At the end of the experiment, tissues were collected from the both injected and control fish after sedation according to the method decribed by Diyaware et al. ( 2017 ). Samples were stored at − 20°C until DNA extraction. Genomic DNA was extracted from the tissue of Lates niloticus (the donor) following the protocol described by Baradakci and Skibinski ( 1994 ). Fifty grams (50g) of the tissue collected from 10 individuals were crushed into smaller pieces using a laboratory pestle and mortar and homogenized using a tissue homogenizer. The crushed tissues were then transferred into a microcentrifuge tube containing 50 mM Tris Bis buffer, 100 mM EDTA (pH 8.0), 100 mM NaCl, 0.1% SDS, and 0.5 mg/ml proteinase K, and incubated overnight for the samples to digest. After incubation, DNA was extracted twice for 15–20 minutes with a 1:1 ratio of phenol and chloroform and again twice for 15 min with 24:1 volume of chloroform and isoamyl alcohol. The aqueous phase was then precipitated with 2.5 volumes of 100% DNA grade ethanol in the presence of one-tenth volume of 3.0M sodium acetate (pH 6.0). DNA pellets were washed with 70% DNA-grade ethanol and dissolved in 0.1ml saline sodium citrate (SSC) buffer. The purity and concentration of genomic DNA were determined using an Ultra Violate (UV) Spectrophotometer (Model: Nanodrop 2000/2000c, Thermo Scientific, USA) at an optical density measurement of 260/280 nm. Polymarase Chain Reaction Polymarase Chain Reaction (PCR) reactions were performed in 25 µL volumes containing 10 × PCR buffer, 2.0 mM MgCl₂, 0.2 mM dNTPs, 1.0 µM primer, 1 U Taq DNA polymerase, and 20–50 ng template DNA. Six random primer primer Ogbuebunu & Awodiran ( 2017 ) for the PCR. All primers (Table 1 ) were amplified at initial denaturation of 94°C for 3 minutes 40 cycles, denaturation temperature of 94°C for 30 seconds, annealing temperature of 36°C for 1 minute, extension for 72°C for 1 minutes, final extension at 72°C for 10 minutes and holding temperature of 4°C. Table 1 Radom Amplified Polymorphism DNA (RAPD) Primer Sequences Primer Primers Primer Sequence OPH-05 AGTCGTCCCC OPT-06 CAAGGGCAGA OPT-20 GACCAATGCC OPB-08 GTCCACACGG OPB-12 CCTTGACGCA OPB-20 GGACCCTTAC Gel Electrophoresis Polymerase chain reaction products were resolved on 1.5% agarose gels stained with ethidium bromide. The gels were visualized under Ultra Violent (UV) light. Banding patterns were compared between the fish that recieved the DNA and control fish. Presence of unique bands in injected fish was interpreted as evidence of foreign DNA integration. Data Analysis Data obtained on growth performance indices, proximate composition, and water quality were subjected to a one-way analysis of variance. The RAPD fingerprints generated for all samples were scored using a Gel analyzer. The genetic diversity were determined using GenAlex. Phylogentic tree to chech similarty indices were constructed using Nei’s (1972) Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Mean (UPGMA) Euclidean Cluster analysis with aid of PAST 4.03 Results and Discussion Table 1 shows the growth performance of O . niloticus injected with L. niloticus DNA. Final weight, weight gain, average daily weight gain, and specific growth rates were significantly (P < 0.05) better in fish injected with 40 µg/µl L. niloticus DNA. Our result on the growth performance of O. niloticus injected with gDNA of L. niloticus is similar to results obtained by several workers including El-Zaeem ( 2004 ), El-Zaeem and Assem ( 2004 ), Hemeida et al. ( 2004 ) and Assem and El-Zaeem ( 2005 ) who demonstrated that administering 40 µg/µl fish of shark DNA was the most effective dose for enhancing growth performance, body composition, and immune traits in O. niloticus and T. Zillii ( Coptodon zilli ). El-Zaeem et al. ( 2011 , 2012a ) also observed higher body weight and specific growth rate in Oreochromis niloticus injected with Seabream and Artemia salina DNA. El-Zaeem (2012b) reported improvements in growth performance and body composition of grey mullet fingerlings injected with shark DNA. Several authors: Brem ( 1989 ), Mandour ( 1996 ), El-Fiky & Mehana ( 1998 ), Martinez et al. ( 2000 ), El-Zaeem ( 2001 , 2004 a, b, 2011, 2012), El-Maremie ( 2007 ), Abd El Hamied (2009), and Elwan ( 2009 ) reported that the transfer of foreign DNA has been shown to improve growth performance, body composition, feed utilization and other quantitative traits in fish. The growth pattern of O. niloticus , containing exogenous fish DNA, is illustrated in Fig. 1 . There was a significant (P < 0.05) progressive growth increase with the increase in the DNA concentration throughout the study. It appears that the gDNA transfer had a dose-dependent relationship as 10 and 20 µg/µl did not improve growth and other quantitative traits (Fig. 1 ). The better growth observed in the study might indicate that the fish containing high concentrations of the DNA might have efficiently utilized the diet given to them. Fu et al. ( 1998 ) reported that transgenic were more efficient in utilizing dietary protein compared to their none transgenic sibling. In a similar vein, Rahman et al. ( 2001 ) confirmed that transgenic tilapia are also more efficient in utilizing protein and energy. However, the Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) increased with an increase in the DNA concentration, with a slight decrease in fish containg 40 µg/µl DNA. Feed conversion ratio were significantly (P < 0.05) better in fish treated with 40 µg/µl DNA compared to others except the control. The FCR ranges of O. niloticus injected with DNA observed in this study are lower than 1.88 and 1.89 reported by El-Zaeem et al. ( 2011 ) in same fish species injected with sea bream, ( Sparus aurata ) and Artemia ( Artemia salina ), respectively, and 1.83 reported by El-Zaeem et al. ( 2023 ) for Coptodon zilli injected with Shark DNA. The variation may be due to the differences in the fish species and sources of the DNA. Table 1 Growth Performance of O . niloticus Containing Exogenous Fish DNA Parameters DNA Concentrations (µg/µL) 0 10 20 30 40 IW (g) 103.29 ± 0.33 103.03 ± 0.73 103.18 ± 0.75 102.21 ± 0.70 101.88 ± 0.84 FW(g) 653.35 ± 12.55 b 587.01 ± 6.11 c 573.53 ± 34.50 c 658.91 ± 5.20 b 751.90 ± 18.50 a IL (cm) 5.21 ± 0.14 5.28 ± 0.064 5.80 ± 0.42 5.70 ± 0.12 5.34 ± 0.09 FL (cm) 11.37 ± 0.34 11.38 ± 0.59 12.28 ± 0.70 12.35 ± 0.38 13.51 ± 0.26 WG (g) 550.06 ± 12.34 b 483.97 ± 6.54 c 470.35 ± 35.24 c 556.69 ± 4.62 b 650.02 a ADWG (g/day) 4.58 ± 0.10 b 4.030.05 c 3.92 ± 0.29 c 4.64 ± 0.04 b 5.41 ± 0.16 a % WG 375.40 ± 23.57 b 388.67 ± 53.78 a 366.42 ± 45.02 a 397.39 ± 2.99 b 432.96 ± 10.34 a SGR (%/Day) 2.79 ± 0.01 b 2.74 ± 0.02 c 2.74 ± 0.02 c 2.80 ± 0.01 b 2.86 ± 0.01 a FCR 1.19 ± 0.02 c 1.38 ± 0.06 ab 1.46 ± 0.07 a 1.37 ± 0.01 ab 1.31 ± 0.03 bc Means in same having the superscript are not significantly different (P > 0.05). Key IW = Initial weight, FW = Final weight, initial length, final length, WG = Weight gain, ADWG = Average daily weight gain, SGR = Specific growth rate, FCR = Feed conversion ratio. Proximate Composition of O. niloticus Containing Exogenous Fish DNA Crude protein (CP) content increased significantly (P < 0.05) with an increase in the DNA concentration. Higher (39.05%) CP was observed in fish injected 40 µg/µl of DNA, followed by 36.36% CP in fish injected 30 µg/µl of DNA. While a lower CP of 27.90% was observed in the control group. This suggests that the foreign DNA might have enhanced muscle protein synthesis in the Nile Tilapia. The protein contents observed in this study were higher than 14.62% CP observed in red belly tilapia ( Coptodon zilli ) injected with Shark DNA observed by El-Zaeem et al. ( 2023 ) and 11.32, 13.10 and 9.80%, in O . niloticus , O . aureus and their hybrids, respectively documented by El-Hawarry ( 2012 ). Suwannatrai et al. ( 2023 ) reported 14.27% crude protein of O. niloticus from Sakon Nakhon province, Thailand. While Kumara et al. ( 2020 ) noticed 7.85% crude protein in O. niloticus from Sri Lanka. The variation in the crude protein level may be due to the differences in the fish species, the source of the DNA, and the age of the fish. However, Mukti et al. ( 2020 ) reported 85.70 and 87.00% crude protein in triploid male and female O. niloticus , respectively. The greater variation observed in the crude protein levels of the sterile tilapia compared to the transgenic tilapia could be due to the complete utilization of feed for growth only by the triploid fish, rather than growth and reproduction as occurs in the fertile Tilapia containing foreign DNA. Martinez et al. ( 2000 ) reported that transgenic tilapia demonstrate an increased protein synthesis and growth rate concomitant with enhanced glycolysis and oxidation of amino acids in juvenile transgenic Nile tilapia. The increase in crude protein level observed in the fish injected 40 µg/µl may be due to the effective conversion of sparing nutrients from fish feed by the fish. A similar trend was also reported by Yuvarajan et al. ( 2019 ) in Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia (GIFT) which recorded a remarkable increment in protein and lipid contents. Such an increase implies improved nutritional quality, which is important for Tilapia aquaculture profitability (Cebeci et al., 2020 ) and improve public health of consumers. Ash Ash levels showed no significant variation (P < 0.05) among the entire treatments. This suggests that DNA transfer had minimal effect on mineral content, which aligns with studies noting that ash is less sensitive to genetic or dietary manipulation (Abdel-Tawwab et al., 2010 ). The ash contents observed in this study are lower than 1.36% for O. niloticus and hybrid red tilapia reported by Olopade et al. ( 2016 ). Table 2 Proximate composition of O . niloticus Containing Exogenous Fish DNA Nutrients DNA Concentration (µg/µl) (%) 0 10 20 30 40 CP 27.90 ± 0.33 e 33.28 ± 0.39 d 34.76 ± 0.21 c 36.36 ± 0.33 b 39.05 ± 0.49 a Ash 0.89 ± 0.05 0.86 ± 0.08 0.94 ± 0.03 0.63 ± 0.32 0.88 ± 0.06 EE 10.19 ± 0.4 c 13.12 ± 0.03 a 11.13 ± 0.02 c 9.16 ± 0.03 e 12.47 ± 0.02 a CF 1.34 ± 0.00 b 1.64 ± 0.03 a 0.98 ± 0.01 d 1.06 ± 0.00 c 0.92 ± 0.03 e Moisture 60.83 ± 0.17 b 58.63 ± 0.25 c 60.44 ± 0.96 b 61.40 ± 0.00 b 63.94 ± 0.02 a ME(Kcal) 2560.40 ± 3.73 d 3000.60 ± 13.68 b 2754.40 ± 100.60 c 2970.20 ± 3.09 b 3474.10 ± 91.36 a Means in the same having similar superscript are not significantly different (P > 0.05). Key CP = Crude protein, EE = Ether extract, CF = Crude fiber, ME = Metabolizable energy. Ether Extract Ether Extract (EE) was significantly (P < 0.05) higher (13.12 ± 0.3 and 12.47 ± 0.02%) in fish treated with 10 and 40 µg/µl DNA, respectively indicating an increase in lipid deposition at these concentrations. The lowest (9.16 ± 0.03%) EE value was observed in fish containing 30 µg/µl DNA concentration. Generally, there were significant variations (P < 0.05) among the means values of the EE across all the treatments. High lipid levels, especially in fish containing 10 µg/µl and 40 µg/µl DNA, may indicate altered lipid metabolism due to foreign DNA expression. The ether extract content, which reflects the lipid concentration in fish, showed noticeable (p < 0.05) variations across the treatments. The observed ranges between 9–13% EE may indicate that DNA transferred could have influenced lipid metabolism in the Nile tilapia. Higher ether extract levels can be beneficial by improving the energy density, flavor, and consumer acceptability of the fish (Shearer, 1994 ). However, excessively high lipid deposition could pose risks such as reduced shelf-life due to lipid oxidation (Raatz et al. ( 2013 ) and may not align with consumer preferences for leaner fish in some markets. Genetic modification, particularly through DNA/gene transfer, is known to impact lipid regulation pathways. Devlin et al. ( 2001 ) demonstrated that transgenic salmon exhibited increased lipid accumulation due to enhanced growth signals, suggesting that similar mechanisms might explain the ether extract changes observed in this study. Therefore, while moderate increases in EE could enhance nutritional value, careful optimization is required to balance consumer health concerns and product quality. Similary, higher ether extract in the fish containing the foreign DNA may results in beneficial fatty acide such as Omega-3 which can enhance the fish's health value as suggested by Tocher ( 2003 ). Crude Fiber The crude fiber (CF) content decreases as DNA concentration increases, except for a slight increase (1.64%) at 10 µg/µl DNA. The high CF observed in fish injected with 10 µg/µl this study is higher than the 0.98% reported by Yuvarajan et al. ( 2019 ) in Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia (GIFT). The lowest (0.92 ± 0.01%) CF value was noticed in fish injected with 40 µg/µl, which may indicate reduced fiber retention at higher DNA concentrations. Olapode et al . (2016) reported 0.54 + 0.08a 0.59 in o. niloticus and hybrid red tilapia, respectively. There were significant differences (P < 0.05) between the means of crude fiber among the entire treatments. Although fish naturally contain low fiber, these changes may reflect alterations in gut microbiota or feed digestion due to genetic influence. Moisture Content Moisture content increases with an increase in DNA concentration, with the significantly (P < 0.05) highest (63.94%) mean value in fish that received 40 µg/µl DNA. This trend suggests a positive correlation between DNA concentration and moisture retention in fish. Significant variation (P < 0.05) was observed between the mean moisture contents of the fish treated with 10 µg/µl DNA compared to the entire treatments. However, no significant variations were observed among the moisture contents of fish treated with 0, 20, and 30 µg/µl DNA. The higher moisture contents observed in this are lower than 81.39 and 80.09% observed by Olopade et al. ( 2016 ) for O. niloticus and hybrids of red Tilapia, respectively. El-Hawarry ( 2012 ) reported 79.09, 79.12, and 80.45% moisture contents of fillets of O . niloticus , O . aureus and their hybrids. Metabolizable Energy Metabolizable energy (ME) in the O. niloticus containing foreign DNA increased significantly (P < 0.05) with an increase in the DNA concentration levels, peaking at 3474.1 Kcal in fish treated with 40 µg/µl DNA. This indicates improved nutrient density and energy utilization, possibly reflecting metabolic shifts influenced by the transferred DNA sequences related to growth or feed efficiency. According to Konnert et al . (2022), high ME indicates efficient nutrient conversion in the fish, which translates to better protein and fat availability for human consumption. Fingerprint Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Analysis Figure 2 is the representative RAPD gel of O. niloticus injected with L.niloticus DNA. Gel electrophoresis revealed distinct banding patterns: the control fish had 5 bands while, fish injected with 10μg/µL, 20μg/µL, 30μg/µL and 40μg/µL have 7, 6, 8 and 9 bands, respectively, suggesting differential integration or expression of L . niloticus DNA fragments among the treated fish. The 250 bp band appears to correlate with increasing DNA concentration in O.niloticus , suggesting a gene or DNA fragment being expressed or integrated more efficiently at higher concetration. The 500 bp band, observed in fish injected with 30 and 40 μg/μL might be a unique gene fragment only expressed or detectable at higher DNA concentrations, and is possibly a dose-sensitive gene or regulatory element activated at higher DNA loads. The presence of distinct bands in the injected fish and their absence in controls strongly indicates transgene integration. Assem & El-Zaeem ( 2005 ) reported integration of Shark DNA into the genome of Tilapia zilli ( Coptodon zill ) after direction injection. In a similar vein, El-Zaeem et al. ( 2011 ) reported the randomly integrated of sea bream and Artemia DNA into O. niloticus genomes. They claimed that the inegrations could be a functional or a silent integration, as suggested by Yaping et al. ( 2001 ). Fujimura & Kocher (2011) demonstrated efficient transgenesis in O. niloticus using the Tol2 transposon system, achieving approximately 30% germline transmission and strong Green Fluorescent Protein ( GFP) expression. Similarly, Olabode et al. ( 2014 ) reported successful integration of growth hormone genes using Tol2-mediated microinjection, with PCR confirmation and enhanced growth in transgenic tilapia. Genetic Similarity Indices The dendrogram generated from gel electrophoresis banding profiles using UPGMA (Fig. 1 ) clustering revealed distinct groupings among fish injected with varying concentrations of Lates niloticus DNA. The control fish (0 µg/µL of DNA) clustered separately from the donor fish, indicating non-genetic similarity and serving. In contrast, samples that received 10 to 40 µg/µL DNA showed progressive clustering toward L . niloticus , suggesting a dose-dependent assimilation of donor genetic material. O. niloticus injected with 30 and 40 µg/µL DNA formed a close cluster with L . niloticus , supported by high bootstrap values of 100, indicating close similarity. This pattern implies that higher DNA concentrations may enhance genomic integration or expression, which is inconsistent with previous findings in transgenic fish studies (Zhang et al ., 2010; Agha et al ., 2018). The O . niloticus containing 10 µg/µL exhibited moderate bootstrap support, indicating that it was closer to L. niloticus than the controls and suggesting partial uptake or variability in transformation efficiency. The distinct clustering of between 10 µg/µL and 40 µg/µL treatments further validated the reproducibility of the gel scoring and the robustness of the clustering method. These results align with earlier reports that hierarchical clustering can effectively resolve genetic relationships in electrophoretic data (Sneath & Sokal, 1973; Rohlf, 2000). Overall, the dendrogram supports the hypothesis that the increasing DNA concentration enhances genetic similarity to the source organism, with 30–40 µg/µL representing a potential threshold for effective transformation. Future studies could explore gene expression levels or phenotypic traits to corroborate these molecular findings. Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Analysis Random Amplified Polymorpsm DNA (RAPD) fingerprint revealed 100% polymorphism across all loci examined, which in consistency with report of Ogbuebunu and Awodiran ( 2017 ) who also observed 100% polymorphism in L. nilotiucs populations from three water bodies in Nigeria. Each fish exhibited unique banding patterns, indicating complete genetic variation among the samples. This may suggests successful genomic integration and expression of exogenous DNA, resulting in distinct genetic profiles for each treated fish. The 100% polymorphism observed in this study is a strong indicator of high genetic variability likely induced by the injected Lates niloticus DNA. Such complete polymorphism is uncommon in natural populations and points to the effectiveness of DNA-mediated genetic transformation. Polymorphism in RAPD profiles typically reflects underlying genetic differences, which may arise from mutations, recombination, or integration of foreign DNA (Williams et al., 1990 ). In this case, the exogenous DNA likely introduced novel alleles or disrupted existing loci, leading to unique RAPD fingerprints in each fish. Similar findings were reported by Ikpeme et al. ( 2015 ), who used RAPD markers to assess genetic diversity in Clarias gariepinus and found higher polymorphism in wild populations compared to cultured ones, emphasizing the role of genetic enrichment in diversity. The complete polymorphism observed here may also reflect the concentration-dependent integration efficiency of the injected DNA. Higher DNA concentrations could facilitate more frequent or diverse integration events, as suggested by Rahman et al. ( 1998 ), who reported enhanced growth and genetic variation in transgenic tilapia expressing exogenous growth hormone genes. This result has important implications for genetic improvement programmes. It suggests that genomic DNA from related species like Lates niloticus can be used to induce genetic diversity in O. niloticus , potentially improving traits such as growth, disease resistance, or environmental tolerance. Water quality Parameters The water quality parameters (table 4) observed during the study were 6-5-6.82mg/l dissolved oxygen, and 26-26.60 temperature, while TDS and EC were between 79-81.16 ppm and 159–166 µs/cm, respectively. The water quality parameters recorded during this study is within the range for tilapia culture (Romana-Eguia et al ., 2020). Table 5 Water quality parameters observed during the study Parameters Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) Concentration (µg/µl) 0 10 20 30 40 DO (mg/L) 6.54 ± 0.15 b 6.06 ± 0.26 a 6.83 ± 0.24 ab 6.52 ± 0.04 b 6.51 ± 0.06 b Temp. ( o C) 26.59 ± 0.00 26.55 ± 0.00 26.50 ± 0.00 26.52 ± 0.02 26.60 ± 0.00 pH 8.17 ± 0.12 8.15 ± 5.18 8.16 ± 0.14 8.18 ± 0.15 8.16 ± 0.13 TDS (ppm) 80.16 ± 2.22 79.96 ± 1.81 82.00 ± 4.543 81.16 ± 5.73 79.17 ± 3.17 EC (µs/cm) 164.50 ± 3.45 163.53 ± 3.00 166.00 ± 27.94 165.50 ± 10.73 159.83 ± 6.10 Conclusion This study revealed that fragmented DNA materials from Lates niloticus can potentially improve growth in Oreochromis niloticus . Fragment of L. niloticus DNA moderately inegrated into the O. niloticus genome. DNA transfer has significantly altered the proximate composition of Nile tilapia, especially by enhancing protein content and metabolizable energy. These changes could offer nutritional, economic, and production benefits in aquaculture, though further investigation into safety, long-term performance, and consumer acceptance is essential. Abbreviations EDTA Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid DNA Deoxyribonucleic Acid gDNA Genomic Deoxyribonucleic Acid NIR Neared Infrared RAPD Random Aplified Polymorphic Deoxyribonucleic Acid SDS Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate SSC Sodium Citrate UPGMA Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Mean Declarations Ethics approval and consent to participate The experiment was conducted following the approval of the Health Research Ethics Committee No. UNIMAID/HREC/VOL.1/2022/04 guiding the use of animals in scientific research at the University of Maiduguri, Nigeria. Consent for publication Not applicable. Availability of data and materials Full uncropped Gel image has been provided Competing interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Funding The research was funded by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Nigeria, under the 2021 National Research Fund (NRF) grant number TETFUND/DR&D-CE/NRF 2021 Author’s Contributions M.Y.D. Conceptualize, designed the methodology and supervised and wrote the manuscript text. A.M.W. conducted the experiment. Z.B.M. and M.Z.H. collected the data and monitored the water quality parameters in the culture tank. M.B. and M.B.A. conducted the laboratory works. A.B.A. did the Gel scoring and data analysis. L.U.C., D.M.U. and M.I.S. prove red the manuscript. All authors read, edited and approved the final manuscript. Acknowledgements The authors are grateful to the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Nigeria, for providing the necessary funds through the 2021 National Research Fund (NRF) for the research. We are thankful to the Northeast Biotechnology Centre, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria, for allowing us to use their facilities and staff. We wish to acknowledge the assistance of Prof. Dr. Samy Yehya El-Zaeem of the Animal and Fish Production Department, Alexandria University, Egypt. 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09:24:02","extension":"xml","order_by":12,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":192341,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"6bb721a61661493ab81d12ef967059a71structuring.xml","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7961907/v1/0099685359f385bf51d6119f.xml"},{"id":96592374,"identity":"24823ae1-008d-40e0-a92e-b4e28a2f2bd9","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-24 06:40:40","extension":"html","order_by":13,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":213757,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"earlyproof.html","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7961907/v1/ff0aec311d20beb836fd1d46.html"},{"id":96592359,"identity":"facdf009-3970-4f54-8a5f-702f1f277c5e","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-24 06:40:39","extension":"jpg","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":87265,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eGrowth pattern of \u003cem\u003eO. niloticus \u003c/em\u003econtaining\u003cem\u003e \u003c/em\u003eexogenous fish DNA\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7961907/v1/f422cc562c3a12d12dd83f2e.jpg"},{"id":96592360,"identity":"39a6900f-ee85-48b3-8917-f667df62b86e","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-24 06:40:39","extension":"jpg","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":80437,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eLegend not included with this version\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"2.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7961907/v1/1fe516fe864c26358cd67924.jpg"},{"id":96605743,"identity":"44ab312e-db1a-4095-8a38-3396a6c3bc6a","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-24 09:23:57","extension":"jpg","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":53634,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eFig. 1: Phylogenetic tree based on Nei's (1972) standard genetic distances using the Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Mean (UPGMA) method generated from RAPD data.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"3.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7961907/v1/fe4a4e6237dc4076b4c9da3a.jpg"},{"id":104834916,"identity":"4c2615ca-9a47-4f45-8b0e-f6d0104e4c8d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-17 17:35:49","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1442631,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7961907/v1/894fd867-8e8a-49fd-aec7-7c25088b361f.pdf"},{"id":96592361,"identity":"0a1b3733-b6f1-444a-86f1-d5429716b633","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-24 06:40:39","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":35474,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"GelImageO.niloticusinjecteswithDNA.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7961907/v1/829520abc0c49ebee9ed2b76.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Enhancement of Growth in Nile Tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758) Through DNA Transfer","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eNile tilapia, \u003cem\u003eOreochromis niloticus\u003c/em\u003e is one of the world's most widely cultured fish species, particularly in Africa, due to their high adaptability, rapid growth, and ability to thrive in diverse aquatic environments. Egypt is Africa's largest Tilapia producer, accounting for about 80% of the continent's total production (El-Sayed, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNile tilapia, \u003cem\u003eOreochromis niloticus\u003c/em\u003e remains a key species in global aquaculture, but its growth performance has declined in many farmed populations due to genetic stagnation and inbreeding. Traditional selective breeding has been done with limited success in overcoming these challenges. As demand for faster-growing, more efficient fish increases, there is a growing need for advanced techniques like DNA transfer to enhance growth and other economic traits. However, the potential of DNA transfer in improving the growth performance of Nile tilapia is still under-explored, particularly about how it may influence other traits such as growth and nutritional composition. This creates a vital research gap that warrants investigation.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe genus \u003cem\u003eLates\u003c/em\u003e belongs to the family Latidae and is of the order Perciform, comprising eleven (11) species that occur in fresh and brackish water. The Nile Perch, \u003cem\u003eLates niloticus\u003c/em\u003e, is a freshwater species indigenous to African rivers and lakes including the Nile, Chad, Senegal, Niger, and Congo River basins. \u003cem\u003eLates niloticus\u003c/em\u003e reaches a maximum length of nearly 2 m, weighing up to 200 kg Kaufman (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1992\u003c/span\u003e), and matured fish typically range from 1.21\u0026ndash;1.37 m (Wood, 1993) in the wild. According to Hopson (1972) as cited by Shinkafi et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR68\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e), \u003cem\u003eLates niloticus\u003c/em\u003e sexually matures at about 3 years of age. \u003cem\u003eOreochromis niloticus\u003c/em\u003e are equally found in most waters where \u003cem\u003eLates\u003c/em\u003e are found. The fish spawns up to 6 times a year and matures at the age of 2\u0026ndash;3 months depending on the condition of the natural water. The growth of Tilapia farming in Nigeria is hindered by challenges such as stunted growth and small-size fish at harvest. This may be caused by their early maturity and high prolificacy, leading to overpopulation in the pond, resulting in poor market value.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMany approaches can be used to improve the growth of the fish. One of the methods can be done through transgenesis (gene/DNA transfer). The most common method used to date is the microinjection of DNA/genes into the pronuclei of zygotes of fish Shakweer et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR65\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). DNA/gene can be manually injected into the skeletal muscles of fish (Wolff et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR82\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1990\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAccording to Sudha et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR69\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001\u003c/span\u003e), a foreign gene can be transferred into fish \u003cem\u003ein-vivo\u003c/em\u003e by introducing DNA into embryos or directly into the somatic tissues of young or adults. Assem \u0026amp; El-Zaeem (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2005\u003c/span\u003e) opined that the direct insertion of DNA into fish muscle is a simple approach that provides faster results and can eliminate the need for screening transgenic individuals and selecting germline carriers. Gene transfer and expression through intramuscular injection of foreign DNA into the skeletal muscles of fish has been achieved by Hansen et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1991\u003c/span\u003e), Rahman \u0026amp; Maclean (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR58\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1992\u003c/span\u003e), Anderson et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1996\u003c/span\u003e), Tan \u0026amp; Chan (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR71\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1997\u003c/span\u003e), Xu et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR73\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1999\u003c/span\u003e). El-Zaeem, (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2004\u003c/span\u003e), El-Zaeem \u0026amp; Assem (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2004\u003c/span\u003e) and Hemeida et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2004\u003c/span\u003e). Moreover, Sudha et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR69\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001\u003c/span\u003e) stated that the expression of muscular injection of DNA was evident in several nonmuscle tissues, such as skin epithelia, pigment cells, blood vessel cells, and neuronlike cells.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSeveral genes have now been introduced into various fish species to enhance growth, resistance to disease, tolerance to freezing, etc (Shears et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR67\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1991\u003c/span\u003e; Chatakondi et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1995\u003c/span\u003e; El-Zaeem, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2004\u003c/span\u003e; Dunham et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2002\u003c/span\u003e; El-Zaeem and Assem, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2004\u003c/span\u003e). According to Dunham \u003cem\u003eet al.\u003c/em\u003e (2011), DNA transfer techniques have shown promising results in improving the growth performance of various fish species, including Nile tilapia.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn a study by El-Zaeem \u0026amp; Assem (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2004\u003c/span\u003e), it was found that injecting shark DNA into the skeletal muscles of \u003cem\u003eOreochromis niloticus\u003c/em\u003e resulted in accelerated growth and improved body composition. Another study by El-Zaeem et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e) observed higher body weight, feed utilization, and specific growth rate in \u003cem\u003eOreochromis niloticus\u003c/em\u003e injected with Seabream and \u003cem\u003eArtemia salina\u003c/em\u003e DNA to enhance salt tolerance. According to El-Zaeem et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012a\u003c/span\u003e), growth performance and body composition in red Tilapia injected with shark DNA were superior compared to non-injected \u003cem\u003eCoptodon\u003c/em\u003e (\u003cem\u003eTilapia\u003c/em\u003e) \u003cem\u003ezilli\u003c/em\u003e. El-Zaeem (2012b) reported improvements in growth performance and body composition of grey mullet fingerlings injected with shark DNA. Additionally, Martinez et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR49\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2000\u003c/span\u003e) reported a 290% food conversion efficiency in transgenic tilapia compared to the control group. Genetically modified \u003cem\u003eO. niloticus\u003c/em\u003e showed more than 80% weight increase compared to non-modified strains (El-Zaeem, 2011). Rahman (2001) reported a mean mass of 653 g in \u003cem\u003eO. niloticus\u003c/em\u003e containing an exogenous fish growth hormone gene after 7 months of culture, representing a 2.5-fold increase in growth compared with non-transgenic siblings. Rahman et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR61\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e) reported significant improvements in growth rates by 30%, feed conversion efficiency, and overall biomass production in \u003cem\u003eO\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003eniloticus\u003c/em\u003e produced through gene transfer.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGenetically modified or transgenic Nile tilapia (\u003cem\u003eOreochromis niloticus\u003c/em\u003e) has been developed to enhance growth rates, disease resistance, and feed efficiency. Studies indicate that genetic modifications can influence the proximate composition of the fish, including moisture, protein, lipid, and ash content. Studies comparing transgenic and non-transgenic tilapia suggest that transgenic variants may exhibit higher protein content and altered lipid profiles, potentially due to enhanced metabolic activity. Several authors reported the proximate composition of Nile Tilapia: Job et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR40\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e), Olopade et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR54\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e), and Otene et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR56\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e). The proximate composition of genetically modified Tilapia has been documented by El-Hawarry (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e), Kumara et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR44\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e), Suwannatrai et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR70\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e), and El-Zaeem et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRandom Aplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) has been successfully used to differentiate species and subspecies of tilapia, such as \u003cem\u003eOreochromis niloticus\u003c/em\u003e, using polymorphic banding patterns generated by random primers (Bardakci \u0026amp; Skibinski, 1994). RAPD is a powerful molecular tool used to generate DNA fingerprints for fish species. It works by amplifying random segments of genomic DNA using short primers, producing unique banding patterns that reflect genetic variation (Dinesh et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1993\u003c/span\u003e; Bardakci \u0026amp; Skibinski, 1994; Ali et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2004\u003c/span\u003e). RAPD serves as both forward and reverse primers, and are usually able to amplify fragments from 1\u0026ndash;10 genomic sites simultaneously. They are quick and easy to assay, require a low quantity of DNA with no sequence data for primer construction (Welsh and McCelland, 1990)\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMicroinjection of Genomic DNA (gDNA) into another fish could affect the proximate composition or nutritional profile of the recipient. Proximate analysis of fish helps determine the nutritional profile of the fish and is one of the major indicators of fish quality for the consumption of humans (Jannatun \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e., 2023). Determining proximate composition of genetically modified fish ensures that the fish meat meets food high standards Otene et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR56\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e),and ensures that genetic modification does not negatively impact the nutritional profile, making it a healthy protein source. The objectives of this study are to investigate the growth performance, proximate composition and DNA fingerprint of \u003cem\u003eO. niloticus\u003c/em\u003e containing foreign fish DNA.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Materials and Methods","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eStudy Area\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe study was conducted at the Teaching and Research fish farm of the Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria. The study area is situated between latitude 11\u0026deg;05\u0026rsquo;N and longitude 13\u0026deg;05\u0026rsquo;E, hot and cool periods as well as rainy (wet) and dry seasons. The wet season has a short duration of erratic rainfall of 3\u0026ndash;4 months per year with an annual rainfall of 630 mm. During the dry season, ambient temperatures are lower in December and January, ranging from 15\u0026ndash;20\u0026deg;C (night), and higher in March to June at 33\u0026ndash;47\u0026deg;C (day). The relative humidity ranges between 33.5 to 34.5%.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eDNA Extraction and Quantification\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGenomic DNA was extracted from the tissue of \u003cem\u003eLates niloticus\u003c/em\u003e following the protocol described by Baradakci \u0026amp; Skibinski (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1994\u003c/span\u003e). Fifty grams (50g) of the tissue were crushed into smaller pieces using a laboratory pestle and mortar and homogenized using a tissue homogenizer. The crushed tissues were then transferred into a microcentrifuge tube containing 50 mM Tris Bis buffer, 100 mM EDTA (pH 8.0), 100 mM NaCl, 0.1% SDS, and 0.5 mg/ml proteinase K, and incubated overnight for the samples to digest. After incubation, DNA was extracted twice for 15\u0026ndash;20 minutes with a 1:1 ratio of phenol and chloroform and again twice for 15 min with 24:1 volume of chloroform and isoamyl alcohol. The aqueous phase was then precipitated with 2.5 volumes of 100% DNA grade ethanol in the presence of one-tenth volume of 3.0M sodium acetate (pH 6.0). DNA pellets were washed with 70% DNA-grade ethanol and dissolved in 0.1ml saline sodium citrate (SSC) buffer. The purity and concentration of genomic DNA were determined using an Ultra Violate (UV) Spectrophotometer (Model: Nanodrop 2000/2000c, Thermo-Scientific, USA) at an optical density measurement of 260/280 nm.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eExperimental Design\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA total of 675 fingerlings (with a weight range of 101\u0026ndash;103.39 g and length of 5\u0026ndash;5.8 cm) of \u003cem\u003eOreochromis niloticus\u003c/em\u003e were divided into five groups, with 45 fingerlings in each group. Different concentrations of SSC buffer-based DNA (0 as control, 10, 20, 30, and 40\u0026micro;g/\u0026micro;l) were injected into the somatic tissue of 45 fingerlings per treatment using a thermodynamic micro-syringe and needle in three replications in a complete randomized design. The fingerlings containing the DNA were reared in a 3 x 2 x 1.2m deep polyethylene mobile fish pond. The fish were fed with a 35% crude protein commercial diet for 3 months.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eGrowth Performance of\u003c/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eO. niloticus\u003c/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eContaining Exogenous DNA\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt the end of the three-month rearing period, the final weight (g), final length (cm), fish mortality, and quantity of feed applied. We estimated the following growth indices for each treatment:\u003c/p\u003e\u003col style=\"list-style-type: lower-roman;\"\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"\"\u003eWeight gain (g) = W\u003csub\u003e2\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sub\u003e\u0026ndash; W\u003csub\u003e1,\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sub\u003ewhere W\u003csub\u003e2\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sub\u003eand W\u003csub\u003e1\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sub\u003eare the final and initial weight of fish, respectively.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"\"\u003ePercentage weight gain = W\u003csub\u003e2\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sub\u003e\u0026ndash; W\u003csub\u003e1\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sub\u003ex 100\u003csub\u003e,\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sub\u003ewhere W\u003csub\u003e2\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sub\u003eand W\u003csub\u003e1\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sub\u003eare the final and initial weight of fish, respectively.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"\"\u003eMean Daily Weight Gain (MDWG) in grams =\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"\"\u003e\u003cimg width=\"45\" height=\"27\" src=\"data:image/png;base64,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\" alt=\"image\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"\"\u003e\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;where = W\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e and\u003csub\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sub\u003eW\u003csub\u003e1\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sub\u003eare the\u003csub\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sub\u003efinal\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;and initial weight of fish, respectively, and t = the culture period (days).\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"\"\u003eSpecific Growth Rate (SGR % per day) =\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"\"\u003e\u003cimg width=\"148\" height=\"28\" src=\"data:image/png;base64,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\" alt=\"image\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;where In. logW\u003csub\u003e2\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sub\u003e=\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;natural log of final weight, In.log W\u003csub\u003e1\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sub\u003e= natural log of initial weight, and t = culture\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;period (Busacker \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e., 2012).\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"\"\u003eFeed conversion Ratio (FCR) = \u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"\"\u003e\u003cimg width=\"117\" height=\"31\" src=\"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAALAAAAAuCAMAAAC/BWNfAAAAAXNSR0IArs4c6QAAALRQTFRFAAAAAAAAAAA6AABmADo6ADpmADqQAGaQAGa2OgAAOgA6OgBmOjoAOjo6OjpmOjqQOmaQOma2OpCQOpC2OpDbZgAAZgA6ZgBmZjoAZjo6ZmZmZpC2ZpDbZrbbZrb/kDoAkDo6kGY6kJBmkLaQkLbbkNv/tmYAtmY6tpA6tpBmtrb/ttvbttv/tv//25A625Bm27Zm27aQ29uQ29u22/+22////7Zm/7aQ/9uQ/9u2//+2///b+oHgAgAAAAF0Uk5TAEDm2GYAAAAJcEhZcwAAFiUAABYlAUlSJPAAAAAZdEVYdFNvZnR3YXJlAE1pY3Jvc29mdCBPZmZpY2V/7TVxAAAEmElEQVRoQ+2Y7VbTQBCGs6HFRgFRqKICBW0DCkQQG9Pk/u/Ld2b2q0noJq0e9Jzuj3aTTCbvzk4mu08Ubds2AtsISATK8cgLRa7U8crIVF8TtTsnE9dr3FCOtc1TrqqJojb4xJ76tWXBUZ6sFpwO74pDfozrNR+4GMugnmzlyc4dDXl4109t07pwgstxU7sbXm2gy56qSUBwNYHgKMoDM9FhNJ5gr2tvdOfarlqzroKrSTyLikSNHvbUcapUPKNk4Ry9T3CEhEXQvieUp4sTpYa3bE3XcRItnkEHTGmm8Id2ziIWH3DtNCJr7c/0tBvrT9sm3SIcpfSAIhlOq8kx1OOgPBlJNmV0lNEUVBOcKpKjOc9LkZDgTJ2ih4tFEp/pc340R/Pqmobp0kR6nhvnbx7dh6ZapwSeSxr1e5/zwbuZTBQ9vrr4SFPwEqdSCgFZiHVKKUU/rB9D0nfIvXy1HOO3Lti6cR2y7ZoSEmEjmO/KTNGio+L1D8imU7qutAlG4OR5NsL68anJKR4ES7duvA7d2lUw57CrrFk8swGmnJhlyJPdnxTz0tYdGV6O+S6oxyprgrVxi2DrptbpKjjnF8gWHHRsgEnK2/d3kP1ZQsBlxVqXF/tKvTFhbUSY4sAnaylh3dQ6Lh62cCx3pA7fSx0uxi901U5jSlfTUhoO3m5+8XN1NI8eDlAmJIdN5uSUw4sxOcJ454tvYozXlN+PIjG+pWfd2E4Gx9VVggK0okkGxQdTEorvolSqel3ml9BO1v2eUoe3ZE31KucaNkRVw7eZ3NE0oNTBgtoD1cCp79s8RbtBFRR/fNfwZjKQz2HPVo6ljAYbqiBspDg8Z8sC5dtqKxIeGdemZ2vp8cLU4KAGSldMfGDhE3SzmUGKlOzsocC3Vw3OOttvDbcR2DgCvMX4j9rGA9462EZgG4F/OAKLS7ffz/T67c/K7UlzzMOfQA28B3TrpP36B98hIGyhR0tOgiBJu+1Jc1YLrq9Ri1c1WmMRUDXBYqQWrLXWUwGaE5hdb5cllnZ3IodO4fJU8MWVuOXJBwdozmrBzU1AbraDcqPzntPWb7ktC96M5ljYEz1gbYlNnEAgBkcnbmlqVBg0RCGl1X4TBiFhVfxFSFJ1yTsuGo0GSTyQTWiOgz20ff9FuSYQqEgGRIHsrlTiadGQJhIwaMAgHpvcme5ge4uX1QNJZjbWpTkO9jze6ESUbORfBxYyEWzREF3D4NpgEAvWt0OwKLQgiQ43oDm+hMdL7HjhuIfgVhjkBNMu/AC7bJ/L6JxYl+Z4sCeNz+astVWwfsUsGpKUaIVBnmDD5z2QpCO+Ls3BczXsYZ8rBMurb9EQRe0cc9sCg5xgImTVFbNfS76kfKxPc2w5LQGKgGoItXIOMzhilMRNlzWv+HLM22CQvHR6rubRNQ49kCTuNqA5BvZQvgHV0EeVIJAgHdBwwyhEqrU2H44mDEJZA31kJ9UFCNJgygBcQJLIXdkCNKcz7OEQe9aNT3NISNfrAZrTHfZIPTVoqGgsfroKCtkFaE4P2IPlpbX+O8tLGUuA5vSDPf2sm8H8DSRrz2iHqYnDAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC\" alt=\"image\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"\"\u003eSurvival (%) =\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"\"\u003e\u003cimg width=\"145\" height=\"28\" src=\"data:image/png;base64,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\" alt=\"image\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"\"\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eProximate Composition of\u003c/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eO. niloticus\u003c/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eImproves through DNA Transfer\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFifty (50) g of fish muscle from each treatment were collected and place in an icepack containing ice flakes and shipped to the Animal Care quality control laboratory, Kano State Nigeria for proximate composition. The proximate composition was conducted in triplicated using a digital Neared Infrared (NIR) Multi-Checker (Model: 21MC11309A06, China) according to AOAC (2005).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eRAPD Protocol/Fingerprint Analysis\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt the end of the experiment, tissues were collected from the both injected and control fish after sedation according to the method decribed by Diyaware et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). Samples were stored at \u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;20\u0026deg;C until DNA extraction. Genomic DNA was extracted from the tissue of \u003cem\u003eLates niloticus\u003c/em\u003e (the donor) following the protocol described by Baradakci and Skibinski (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1994\u003c/span\u003e). Fifty grams (50g) of the tissue collected from 10 individuals were crushed into smaller pieces using a laboratory pestle and mortar and homogenized using a tissue homogenizer. The crushed tissues were then transferred into a microcentrifuge tube containing 50 mM Tris Bis buffer, 100 mM EDTA (pH 8.0), 100 mM NaCl, 0.1% SDS, and 0.5 mg/ml proteinase K, and incubated overnight for the samples to digest. After incubation, DNA was extracted twice for 15\u0026ndash;20 minutes with a 1:1 ratio of phenol and chloroform and again twice for 15 min with 24:1 volume of chloroform and isoamyl alcohol. The aqueous phase was then precipitated with 2.5 volumes of 100% DNA grade ethanol in the presence of one-tenth volume of 3.0M sodium acetate (pH 6.0). DNA pellets were washed with 70% DNA-grade ethanol and dissolved in 0.1ml saline sodium citrate (SSC) buffer. The purity and concentration of genomic DNA were determined using an Ultra Violate (UV) Spectrophotometer (Model: Nanodrop 2000/2000c, Thermo Scientific, USA) at an optical density measurement of 260/280 nm.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003ePolymarase Chain Reaction\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePolymarase Chain Reaction (PCR) reactions were performed in 25 \u0026micro;L volumes containing 10 \u0026times; PCR buffer, 2.0 mM MgCl₂, 0.2 mM dNTPs, 1.0 \u0026micro;M primer, 1 U Taq DNA polymerase, and 20\u0026ndash;50 ng template DNA. Six random primer primer Ogbuebunu \u0026amp; Awodiran (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR53\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e) for the PCR. All primers (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e) were amplified at initial denaturation of 94\u0026deg;C for 3 minutes 40 cycles, denaturation temperature of 94\u0026deg;C for 30 seconds, annealing temperature of 36\u0026deg;C for 1 minute, extension for 72\u0026deg;C for 1 minutes, final extension at 72\u0026deg;C for 10 minutes and holding temperature of 4\u0026deg;C.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eRadom Amplified Polymorphism DNA (RAPD) Primer Sequences Primer\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"2\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ePrimers\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ePrimer Sequence\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOPH-05\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAGTCGTCCCC\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOPT-06\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCAAGGGCAGA\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOPT-20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGACCAATGCC\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOPB-08\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGTCCACACGG\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOPB-12\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCCTTGACGCA\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOPB-20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGGACCCTTAC\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eGel Electrophoresis\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003ePolymerase chain reaction products were resolved on 1.5% agarose gels stained with ethidium bromide. The gels were visualized under Ultra Violent (UV) light. Banding patterns were compared between the fish that recieved the DNA and control fish. Presence of unique bands in injected fish was interpreted as evidence of foreign DNA integration.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eData Analysis\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eData obtained on growth performance indices, proximate composition, and water quality were subjected to a one-way analysis of variance. The RAPD fingerprints generated for all samples were scored using a Gel analyzer. The genetic diversity were determined using GenAlex. Phylogentic tree to chech similarty indices were constructed using Nei\u0026rsquo;s (1972) Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Mean (UPGMA) Euclidean Cluster analysis with aid of PAST 4.03\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Results and Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e shows the growth performance of \u003cem\u003eO\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003eniloticus\u003c/em\u003e injected with \u003cem\u003eL. niloticus\u003c/em\u003e DNA. Final weight, weight gain, average daily weight gain, and specific growth rates were significantly (P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) better in fish injected with 40 \u0026micro;g/\u0026micro;l \u003cem\u003eL. niloticus\u003c/em\u003e DNA. Our result on the growth performance of \u003cem\u003eO. niloticus\u003c/em\u003e injected with gDNA of \u003cem\u003eL. niloticus\u003c/em\u003e is similar to results obtained by several workers including El-Zaeem (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2004\u003c/span\u003e), El-Zaeem and Assem (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2004\u003c/span\u003e), Hemeida et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2004\u003c/span\u003e) and Assem and El-Zaeem (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2005\u003c/span\u003e) who demonstrated that administering 40 \u0026micro;g/\u0026micro;l fish of shark DNA was the most effective dose for enhancing growth performance, body composition, and immune traits in \u003cem\u003eO. niloticus\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eT. Zillii\u003c/em\u003e (\u003cem\u003eCoptodon zilli\u003c/em\u003e). El-Zaeem et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012a\u003c/span\u003e) also observed higher body weight and specific growth rate in \u003cem\u003eOreochromis niloticus\u003c/em\u003e injected with Seabream and \u003cem\u003eArtemia salina\u003c/em\u003e DNA. El-Zaeem (2012b) reported improvements in growth performance and body composition of grey mullet fingerlings injected with shark DNA. Several authors: Brem (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1989\u003c/span\u003e), Mandour (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1996\u003c/span\u003e), El-Fiky \u0026amp; Mehana (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1998\u003c/span\u003e), Martinez et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR49\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2000\u003c/span\u003e), El-Zaeem (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2004\u003c/span\u003ea, b, 2011, 2012), El-Maremie (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2007\u003c/span\u003e), Abd El Hamied (2009), and Elwan (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e) reported that the transfer of foreign DNA has been shown to improve growth performance, body composition, feed utilization and other quantitative traits in fish.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe growth pattern of \u003cem\u003eO. niloticus\u003c/em\u003e, containing exogenous fish DNA, is illustrated in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e. There was a significant (P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) progressive growth increase with the increase in the DNA concentration throughout the study. It appears that the gDNA transfer had a dose-dependent relationship as 10 and 20 \u0026micro;g/\u0026micro;l did not improve growth and other quantitative traits (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). The better growth observed in the study might indicate that the fish containing high concentrations of the DNA might have efficiently utilized the diet given to them. Fu et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1998\u003c/span\u003e) reported that transgenic were more efficient in utilizing dietary protein compared to their none transgenic sibling. In a similar vein, Rahman et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR60\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001\u003c/span\u003e) confirmed that transgenic tilapia are also more efficient in utilizing protein and energy.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHowever, the Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) increased with an increase in the DNA concentration, with a slight decrease in fish containg 40 \u0026micro;g/\u0026micro;l DNA. Feed conversion ratio were significantly (P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) better in fish treated with 40 \u0026micro;g/\u0026micro;l DNA compared to others except the control. The FCR ranges of \u003cem\u003eO. niloticus\u003c/em\u003e injected with DNA observed in this study are lower than 1.88 and 1.89 reported by El-Zaeem et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e) in same fish species injected with sea bream, (\u003cem\u003eSparus aurata\u003c/em\u003e) and Artemia (\u003cem\u003eArtemia salina\u003c/em\u003e), respectively, and 1.83 reported by El-Zaeem et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e) for \u003cem\u003eCoptodon zilli\u003c/em\u003e injected with Shark DNA. The variation may be due to the differences in the fish species and sources of the DNA.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGrowth Performance of \u003cem\u003eO\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003eniloticus\u003c/em\u003e Containing Exogenous Fish DNA\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eParameters\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"5\" nameend=\"c6\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eDNA Concentrations (\u0026micro;g/\u0026micro;L)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e20\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e30\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e40\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eIW (g)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e103.29\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.33\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e103.03\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.73\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e103.18\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.75\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e102.21\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.70\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e101.88\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.84\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFW(g)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e653.35\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;12.55\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e587.01\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;6.11\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e573.53\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;34.50\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e658.91\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5.20\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e751.90\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;18.50\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eIL (cm)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.21\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.14\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.28\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.064\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.80\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.42\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.70\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.12\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.34\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.09\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFL (cm)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e11.37\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.34\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e11.38\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.59\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e12.28\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.70\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e12.35\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.38\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.51\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.26\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eWG (g)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e550.06\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;12.34\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e483.97\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;6.54\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e470.35\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;35.24\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e556.69\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;4.62\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e650.02\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eADWG (g/day)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4.58\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.10\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4.030.05\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.92\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.29\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4.64\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.04\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.41\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.16\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e% WG\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e375.40\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;23.57\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e388.67\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;53.78\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e366.42\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;45.02\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e397.39\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.99\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e432.96\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;10.34\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSGR (%/Day)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.79\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.74\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.74\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.80\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.86\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFCR\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.19\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.38\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.06\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.46\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.07\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.37\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.31\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.03\u003csup\u003ebc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMeans in same having the superscript are not significantly different (P\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKey\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cp\u003eIW\u0026thinsp;\u003cb\u003e=\u003c/b\u003e\u0026thinsp;Initial weight, FW\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Final weight, initial length, final length, WG\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Weight gain, ADWG\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Average daily weight gain, SGR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Specific growth rate, FCR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Feed conversion ratio.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eProximate Composition of\u003c/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eO. niloticus\u003c/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eContaining Exogenous Fish DNA\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCrude protein (CP) content increased significantly (P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) with an increase in the DNA concentration. Higher (39.05%) CP was observed in fish injected 40 \u0026micro;g/\u0026micro;l of DNA, followed by 36.36% CP in fish injected 30 \u0026micro;g/\u0026micro;l of DNA. While a lower CP of 27.90% was observed in the control group. This suggests that the foreign DNA might have enhanced muscle protein synthesis in the Nile Tilapia. The protein contents observed in this study were higher than 14.62% CP observed in red belly tilapia (\u003cem\u003eCoptodon zilli\u003c/em\u003e) injected with Shark DNA observed by El-Zaeem et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e) and 11.32, 13.10 and 9.80%, in \u003cem\u003eO\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003eniloticus\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eO\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003eaureus\u003c/em\u003e and their hybrids, respectively documented by El-Hawarry (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e). Suwannatrai et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR70\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e) reported 14.27% crude protein of \u003cem\u003eO. niloticus\u003c/em\u003e from Sakon Nakhon province, Thailand. While Kumara et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR44\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e) noticed 7.85% crude protein in \u003cem\u003eO. niloticus\u003c/em\u003e from Sri Lanka. The variation in the crude protein level may be due to the differences in the fish species, the source of the DNA, and the age of the fish. However, Mukti et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR50\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e) reported 85.70 and 87.00% crude protein in triploid male and female \u003cem\u003eO. niloticus\u003c/em\u003e, respectively. The greater variation observed in the crude protein levels of the sterile tilapia compared to the transgenic tilapia could be due to the complete utilization of feed for growth only by the triploid fish, rather than growth and reproduction as occurs in the fertile Tilapia containing foreign DNA. Martinez et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR49\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2000\u003c/span\u003e) reported that transgenic tilapia demonstrate an increased protein synthesis and growth rate concomitant with enhanced glycolysis and oxidation of amino acids in juvenile transgenic Nile tilapia. The increase in crude protein level observed in the fish injected 40 \u0026micro;g/\u0026micro;l may be due to the effective conversion of sparing nutrients from fish feed by the fish. A similar trend was also reported by Yuvarajan et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR75\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e) in Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia (GIFT) which recorded a remarkable increment in protein and lipid contents. Such an increase implies improved nutritional quality, which is important for Tilapia aquaculture profitability (Cebeci et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e) and improve public health of consumers.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec11\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAsh\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eAsh levels showed no significant variation (P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) among the entire treatments. This suggests that DNA transfer had minimal effect on mineral content, which aligns with studies noting that ash is less sensitive to genetic or dietary manipulation (Abdel-Tawwab et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e). The ash contents observed in this study are lower than 1.36% for \u003cem\u003eO. niloticus\u003c/em\u003e and hybrid red tilapia reported by Olopade et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR54\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eProximate composition of \u003cem\u003eO\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003eniloticus\u003c/em\u003e Containing Exogenous Fish DNA\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNutrients\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"4\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eDNA Concentration (\u0026micro;g/\u0026micro;l)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e(%)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e20\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e30\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e40\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCP\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e27.90\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.33\u003csup\u003ee\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e33.28\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.39\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e34.76\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.21\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e36.36\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.33\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e39.05\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.49\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAsh\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.89\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.05\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.86\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.08\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.94\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.03\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.63\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.32\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.88\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.06\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eEE\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e10.19\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.4\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.12\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.03\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e11.13\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e9.16\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.03\u003csup\u003ee\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e12.47\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCF\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.34\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.00\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.64\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.03\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.98\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.06\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.00\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.92\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.03\u003csup\u003ee\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMoisture\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e60.83\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.17\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e58.63\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.25\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e60.44\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.96\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e61.40\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.00\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e63.94\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eME(Kcal)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2560.40\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.73\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3000.60\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;13.68\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2754.40\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;100.60\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2970.20\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.09\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3474.10\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;91.36\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMeans in the same having similar superscript are not significantly different (P\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKey\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cp\u003eCP\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Crude protein, EE\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Ether extract, CF\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Crude fiber, ME\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Metabolizable energy.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec12\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eEther Extract\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eEther Extract (EE) was significantly (P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) higher (13.12\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.3 and 12.47\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02%) in fish treated with 10 and 40 \u0026micro;g/\u0026micro;l DNA, respectively indicating an increase in lipid deposition at these concentrations. The lowest (9.16\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.03%) EE value was observed in fish containing 30 \u0026micro;g/\u0026micro;l DNA concentration. Generally, there were significant variations (P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) among the means values of the EE across all the treatments. High lipid levels, especially in fish containing 10 \u0026micro;g/\u0026micro;l and 40 \u0026micro;g/\u0026micro;l DNA, may indicate altered lipid metabolism due to foreign DNA expression. The ether extract content, which reflects the lipid concentration in fish, showed noticeable (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) variations across the treatments. The observed ranges between 9\u0026ndash;13% EE may indicate that DNA transferred could have influenced lipid metabolism in the Nile tilapia. Higher ether extract levels can be beneficial by improving the energy density, flavor, and consumer acceptability of the fish (Shearer, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR66\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1994\u003c/span\u003e). However, excessively high lipid deposition could pose risks such as reduced shelf-life due to lipid oxidation (Raatz et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR62\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e) and may not align with consumer preferences for leaner fish in some markets. Genetic modification, particularly through DNA/gene transfer, is known to impact lipid regulation pathways. Devlin et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001\u003c/span\u003e) demonstrated that transgenic salmon exhibited increased lipid accumulation due to enhanced growth signals, suggesting that similar mechanisms might explain the ether extract changes observed in this study. Therefore, while moderate increases in EE could enhance nutritional value, careful optimization is required to balance consumer health concerns and product quality. Similary, higher ether extract in the fish containing the foreign DNA may results in beneficial fatty acide such as Omega-3 which can enhance the fish's health value as suggested by Tocher (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR72\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2003\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec13\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eCrude Fiber\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe crude fiber (CF) content decreases as DNA concentration increases, except for a slight increase (1.64%) at 10 \u0026micro;g/\u0026micro;l DNA. The high CF observed in fish injected with 10 \u0026micro;g/\u0026micro;l this study is higher than the 0.98% reported by Yuvarajan et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR75\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e) in Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia (GIFT). The lowest (0.92\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01%) CF value was noticed in fish injected with 40 \u0026micro;g/\u0026micro;l, which may indicate reduced fiber retention at higher DNA concentrations. Olapode \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e. (2016) reported 0.54\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;0.08a 0.59 in \u003cem\u003eo. niloticus\u003c/em\u003e and hybrid red tilapia, respectively. There were significant differences (P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) between the means of crude fiber among the entire treatments. Although fish naturally contain low fiber, these changes may reflect alterations in gut microbiota or feed digestion due to genetic influence.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec14\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMoisture Content\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eMoisture content increases with an increase in DNA concentration, with the significantly (P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) highest (63.94%) mean value in fish that received 40 \u0026micro;g/\u0026micro;l DNA. This trend suggests a positive correlation between DNA concentration and moisture retention in fish. Significant variation (P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) was observed between the mean moisture contents of the fish treated with 10 \u0026micro;g/\u0026micro;l DNA compared to the entire treatments. However, no significant variations were observed among the moisture contents of fish treated with 0, 20, and 30 \u0026micro;g/\u0026micro;l DNA. The higher moisture contents observed in this are lower than 81.39 and 80.09% observed by Olopade et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR54\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e) for \u003cem\u003eO. niloticus\u003c/em\u003e and hybrids of red Tilapia, respectively. El-Hawarry (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e) reported 79.09, 79.12, and 80.45% moisture contents of fillets of \u003cem\u003eO\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003eniloticus\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eO\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003eaureus\u003c/em\u003e and their hybrids.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec15\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMetabolizable Energy\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eMetabolizable energy (ME) in the \u003cem\u003eO. niloticus\u003c/em\u003e containing foreign DNA increased significantly (P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) with an increase in the DNA concentration levels, peaking at 3474.1 Kcal in fish treated with 40 \u0026micro;g/\u0026micro;l DNA. This indicates improved nutrient density and energy utilization, possibly reflecting metabolic shifts influenced by the transferred DNA sequences related to growth or feed efficiency. According to Konnert \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e. (2022), high ME indicates efficient nutrient conversion in the fish, which translates to better protein and fat availability for human consumption.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec16\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eFingerprint Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Analysis\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"\"\u003eFigure 2 is the representative RAPD gel of \u003cem\u003eO. niloticus\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e injected with \u003cem\u003eL.niloticus\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003eDNA. Gel electrophoresis revealed distinct banding patterns: the control fish had 5 bands while, fish injected with 10\u0026mu;g/\u0026micro;L, 20\u0026mu;g/\u0026micro;L, 30\u0026mu;g/\u0026micro;L and 40\u0026mu;g/\u0026micro;L have 7, 6, 8 and 9 bands, respectively, suggesting differential integration or expression of \u003cem\u003eL\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003eniloticus\u003c/em\u003e DNA fragments among the treated fish. The 250 bp band appears to correlate with increasing DNA concentration in \u003cem\u003eO.niloticus\u003c/em\u003e, suggesting a gene or DNA fragment being expressed or integrated more efficiently at higher concetration. The 500 bp band, observed in fish injected with 30 and 40 \u0026mu;g/\u0026mu;L might be a unique gene fragment only expressed or detectable at higher DNA concentrations, and is possibly a dose-sensitive gene or regulatory element activated at higher DNA loads.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe presence of distinct bands in the injected fish and their absence in controls strongly indicates transgene integration. Assem \u0026amp; El-Zaeem (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2005\u003c/span\u003e) reported integration of Shark DNA into the genome of \u003cem\u003eTilapia zilli\u003c/em\u003e (\u003cem\u003eCoptodon zill\u003c/em\u003e) after direction injection. In a similar vein, El-Zaeem et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e) reported the randomly integrated of sea bream and Artemia DNA into \u003cem\u003eO. niloticus\u003c/em\u003e genomes. They claimed that the inegrations could be a functional or a silent integration, as suggested by Yaping et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR74\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001\u003c/span\u003e). Fujimura \u0026amp; Kocher (2011) demonstrated efficient transgenesis in \u003cem\u003eO. niloticus\u003c/em\u003e using the Tol2 transposon system, achieving approximately 30% germline transmission and strong Green Fluorescent Protein \u003cb\u003e(\u003c/b\u003eGFP) expression. Similarly, Olabode et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR55\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e) reported successful integration of growth hormone genes using Tol2-mediated microinjection, with PCR confirmation and enhanced growth in transgenic tilapia.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec17\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eGenetic Similarity Indices\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe dendrogram generated from gel electrophoresis banding profiles using UPGMA (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e) clustering revealed distinct groupings among fish injected with varying concentrations of Lates niloticus DNA. The control fish (0 \u0026micro;g/\u0026micro;L of DNA) clustered separately from the donor fish, indicating non-genetic similarity and serving. In contrast, samples that received 10 to 40 \u0026micro;g/\u0026micro;L DNA showed progressive clustering toward \u003cem\u003eL\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003eniloticus\u003c/em\u003e, suggesting a dose-dependent assimilation of donor genetic material. O. \u003cem\u003eniloticus\u003c/em\u003e injected with 30 and 40 \u0026micro;g/\u0026micro;L DNA formed a close cluster with \u003cem\u003eL\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003eniloticus\u003c/em\u003e, supported by high bootstrap values of 100, indicating close similarity. This pattern implies that higher DNA concentrations may enhance genomic integration or expression, which is inconsistent with previous findings in transgenic fish studies (Zhang \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e., 2010; Agha \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e., 2018). The \u003cem\u003eO\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003eniloticus\u003c/em\u003e containing 10 \u0026micro;g/\u0026micro;L exhibited moderate bootstrap support, indicating that it was closer to L. niloticus than the controls and suggesting partial uptake or variability in transformation efficiency. The distinct clustering of between 10 \u0026micro;g/\u0026micro;L and 40 \u0026micro;g/\u0026micro;L treatments further validated the reproducibility of the gel scoring and the robustness of the clustering method. These results align with earlier reports that hierarchical clustering can effectively resolve genetic relationships in electrophoretic data (Sneath \u0026amp; Sokal, 1973; Rohlf, 2000).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOverall, the dendrogram supports the hypothesis that the increasing DNA concentration enhances genetic similarity to the source organism, with 30\u0026ndash;40 \u0026micro;g/\u0026micro;L representing a potential threshold for effective transformation. Future studies could explore gene expression levels or phenotypic traits to corroborate these molecular findings.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec18\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eRandom Amplified Polymorphic DNA Analysis\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eRandom Amplified Polymorpsm DNA (RAPD) fingerprint revealed 100% polymorphism across all loci examined, which in consistency with report of Ogbuebunu and Awodiran (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR53\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e) who also observed 100% polymorphism in \u003cem\u003eL. nilotiucs\u003c/em\u003e populations from three water bodies in Nigeria. Each fish exhibited unique banding patterns, indicating complete genetic variation among the samples. This may suggests successful genomic integration and expression of exogenous DNA, resulting in distinct genetic profiles for each treated fish. The 100% polymorphism observed in this study is a strong indicator of high genetic variability likely induced by the injected \u003cem\u003eLates niloticus\u003c/em\u003e DNA. Such complete polymorphism is uncommon in natural populations and points to the effectiveness of DNA-mediated genetic transformation. Polymorphism in RAPD profiles typically reflects underlying genetic differences, which may arise from mutations, recombination, or integration of foreign DNA (Williams et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR79\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1990\u003c/span\u003e). In this case, the exogenous DNA likely introduced novel alleles or disrupted existing loci, leading to unique RAPD fingerprints in each fish. Similar findings were reported by Ikpeme et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e), who used RAPD markers to assess genetic diversity in \u003cem\u003eClarias gariepinus\u003c/em\u003e and found higher polymorphism in wild populations compared to cultured ones, emphasizing the role of genetic enrichment in diversity. The complete polymorphism observed here may also reflect the concentration-dependent integration efficiency of the injected DNA. Higher DNA concentrations could facilitate more frequent or diverse integration events, as suggested by Rahman et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR59\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1998\u003c/span\u003e), who reported enhanced growth and genetic variation in transgenic tilapia expressing exogenous growth hormone genes. This result has important implications for genetic improvement programmes. It suggests that genomic DNA from related species like \u003cem\u003eLates niloticus\u003c/em\u003e can be used to induce genetic diversity in \u003cem\u003eO. niloticus\u003c/em\u003e, potentially improving traits such as growth, disease resistance, or environmental tolerance.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec19\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eWater quality Parameters\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe water quality parameters (table 4) observed during the study were 6-5-6.82mg/l dissolved oxygen, and 26-26.60 temperature, while TDS and EC were between 79-81.16 ppm and 159\u0026ndash;166 \u0026micro;s/cm, respectively. The water quality parameters recorded during this study is within the range for tilapia culture (Romana-Eguia \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e., 2020).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab4\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 5\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eWater quality parameters observed during the study\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eParameters\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"5\" nameend=\"c6\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eDeoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) Concentration (\u0026micro;g/\u0026micro;l)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e20\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e30\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e40\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eDO (mg/L)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e6.54\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.15\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e6.06\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.26\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e6.83\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.24\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e6.52\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.04\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e6.51\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.06\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTemp. (\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e26.59\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.00\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e26.55\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.00\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e26.50\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.00\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e26.52\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e26.60\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.00\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003epH\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8.17\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.12\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8.15\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5.18\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8.16\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.14\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8.18\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.15\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8.16\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.13\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTDS (ppm)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e80.16\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.22\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e79.96\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.81\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e82.00\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;4.543\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e81.16\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5.73\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e79.17\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.17\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eEC (\u0026micro;s/cm)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e164.50\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.45\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e163.53\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.00\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e166.00\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;27.94\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e165.50\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;10.73\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e159.83\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;6.10\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis study revealed that fragmented DNA materials from \u003cem\u003eLates niloticus\u003c/em\u003e can potentially improve growth in \u003cem\u003eOreochromis niloticus\u003c/em\u003e. Fragment of \u003cem\u003eL. niloticus\u003c/em\u003e DNA moderately inegrated into the \u003cem\u003eO. niloticus\u003c/em\u003e genome. DNA transfer has significantly altered the proximate composition of Nile tilapia, especially by enhancing protein content and metabolizable energy. These changes could offer nutritional, economic, and production benefits in aquaculture, though further investigation into safety, long-term performance, and consumer acceptance is essential.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Abbreviations","content":"\u003cp\u003eEDTA\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDNA\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Deoxyribonucleic Acid\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003egDNA\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Genomic Deoxyribonucleic Acid\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNIR\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Neared Infrared \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRAPD \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;Random Aplified Polymorphic Deoxyribonucleic Acid\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSDS\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSSC\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Sodium Citrate\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUPGMA \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Mean \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthics approval and consent to participate\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe experiment was conducted following the approval of the Health Research Ethics Committee No. UNIMAID/HREC/VOL.1/2022/04 guiding the use of animals in scientific research at the University of Maiduguri, Nigeria.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent for publication\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailability of data and materials\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFull uncropped Gel image has been provided\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompeting interests\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare that they have no competing interests.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe research was funded by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Nigeria, under the 2021 National Research Fund (NRF) grant number TETFUND/DR\u0026amp;D-CE/NRF 2021\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor\u0026rsquo;s Contributions\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eM.Y.D. Conceptualize, designed the methodology and supervised and wrote the manuscript text. A.M.W. conducted the experiment. Z.B.M. and M.Z.H. collected the data and monitored the water quality parameters in the culture tank. M.B. and M.B.A. conducted the laboratory works. \u0026nbsp;A.B.A. did the Gel scoring and data analysis. \u0026nbsp; L.U.C., D.M.U. and M.I.S. prove red the manuscript. All authors read, edited and approved the final manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgements\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors are grateful to the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Nigeria, for providing the necessary funds through the 2021 National Research Fund (NRF) for the research. We are thankful to the Northeast Biotechnology Centre, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria, for allowing us to use their facilities and staff. We wish to acknowledge the assistance of Prof. Dr. Samy Yehya El-Zaeem of the Animal and Fish Production Department, Alexandria University, Egypt. The advice of Dr. Silvanus Nwafili Anene of the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, is highly acknowledged. The contributions of Prof. Micheal Omoniyi Popoola, of the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture Technology, Federal University of technology, Akure, is also acknowledged.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAbd El-Hamied, A.M.L. (2009). Studies on the Induction Of Genetically Modified Blue tilapia (\u003cem\u003eOreochromis\u003c/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eaureus\u003c/em\u003e). \u003cem\u003eM.Sc. Thesis\u003c/em\u003e, Faculty of Agriculture (Saba-Bacha), Alexandria. University Alexandria, Egypt.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAbdelrahmana, D., Hasana, W., and Da\u0026rsquo;as, S.I. (2021). 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Direct gene transfer into mouse muscle in vivo. \u003cem\u003eScience\u003c/em\u003e, 247, 1465-1468.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Nile Perch, DNA, Somatic cell, Improvement, Fish, Aquaculture","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7961907/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7961907/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003ch2\u003eBackground\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Nile tilapia, \u003cem\u003eOreochromis niloticus\u003c/em\u003e is a widely cultivated fish throughout the world. The fish is particularly important for aquaculture in Nigeria due to its popularity. Most of the improved tilapia strains were developed through local selection and crossbreeding. The objectives of this study are to investigate the growth performance, proximate composition and DNA fingerprint and genetic variation of \u003cem\u003eO. niloticus\u003c/em\u003e containing foreign fish DNA.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMethods\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eA study was conducted to enhance the growth performance of the fish by transferring purified DNA into the fish's somatic tissue. Different concentrations of DNA (0, 10, 20, 30, and 40 \u0026micro;g/\u0026micro;l) extracted from the Nile perch (\u003cem\u003eLates niloticus\u003c/em\u003e) were injected into the somatic tissue of the tilapia fingerlings. The injected fish were then raised for 120 days in a polyethylene mobile fish pond (2.5 x 1.5 x1.2 deep).\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eResults\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eFingerlings injected with 40 \u0026micro;g/\u0026micro;l have significantly (P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) better final weight, weight gain, average daily weight gain, specific growth rate crude protein and ether extract, and metabolizable energy. Gel electrophoresis revealed distinct banding patterns, suggesting differential integration or expression of \u003cem\u003eL\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003enioloticus\u003c/em\u003e DNA fragments among the treated fish. The number of effective alleles (Ne), Shannon's Information Index (I), Expected Heterozygosity (He) and Unbiased Expected Heterozygosity (uHe) were observed to be high in fish containing higher concentration of the \u003cem\u003eL. niloticus\u003c/em\u003e DNA. RAPD analysis indicated that each fish exhibited unique banding patterns, indicating complete genetic variation among the treatments.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eConclusion\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eFragmented DNA materials from \u003cem\u003eLates niloticus\u003c/em\u003e can potentially improve growth in \u003cem\u003eOreochromis niloticus\u003c/em\u003e and support the hypothesis that DNA transfer from Nile perch can significantly alter the proximate composition of Nile tilapia, especially by enhancing protein content and metabolizable energy. These changes could offer nutritional, economic, and production benefits in aquaculture, though further investigation into safety, long-term performance, and consumer acceptance is essential.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Enhancement of Growth in Nile Tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758) Through DNA Transfer","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-11-24 06:40:35","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7961907/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"36d210fd-2f46-4283-aba4-aa2fb21cb5aa","owner":[],"postedDate":"November 24th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-02-22T09:09:30+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-11-24 06:40:35","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7961907","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7961907","identity":"rs-7961907","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}