In order to examine whether or not a germ cell derived from a donor fish,
which has been transplanted into a recipient fish of a different species
by a surrogate fish technique, grows or matures in the gonad of the
recipient fish, it is necessary to use, as an indicator, a trait that is
specifically expressed in the germ cell and can be used to distinguish
the recipient fish from the donor fish. Vasa gene, which is a germ
cell-specific gene, is specific to a primordial germ cell and a
spermatogonium/an oogonium, and it is not expressed in a somatic cell. In
the present invention, the Vasa gene sequences of a tuna, a chub
mackerel, a spotted mackerel, an eastern little tuna, and a drumfish are
determined, and the expression of such gene is used as a marker for a
germ cell. In addition, according to the present invention, it is
possible to specifically detect only a tuna Vasa gene in Vasa gene
sequences that are highly conserved in fishes, without sequencing. Thus,
a tuna-derived germ cell can be reliably and simply identified in the
gonad of the recipient fish. As a result, the growth or breeding of tuna
can be carried out with good efficiency. Moreover, utilizing the
aforementioned findings, even in a case in which not only a tuna but also
another Perciformes fish is used as a donor, a germ cell derived from the
donor fish can be efficiently detected from the gonad of a recipient fish
of a different species.