TY - JOUR
T1 - The role of pituitary gonadotropins in gonadal sex differentiation in the protogynous Malabar grouper, Epinephelus malabaricus
AU - Murata, Ryosuke
AU - Kobayashi, Yasuhisa
AU - Karimata, Hirofumi
AU - Kishimoto, Kazuo
AU - Kimura, Motofumi
AU - Shimizu, Akio
AU - Nakamura, Masaru
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was completed supported with financial support from Solution Oriented Research for Science and Technology (SORST), Japan Science and Technology Corporation (JST), Ocean Exposition Commemorative Park Commemorative Management Foundation, Japan Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS) and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, and Technology (Project No. 23658166 and 23248034 to MN).
PY - 2012/9/15
Y1 - 2012/9/15
N2 - The aim of this study was to clarify the roles of 2 gonadotropins (GTHs), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH), on sex differentiation in the protogynous Malabar grouper, Epinephelus malabaricus. To do this, the mRNA expression patterns of GTH subunits (cga, fshb, and lhb) in the fish pituitary throughout gonadal sex differentiation were investigated. Real-time reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR showed that cga and fshb were present in the undifferentiated and ovarian differentiation stages, and that the expression levels significantly increased after ovarian differentiation (AOD). However, lhb was not expressed before ovarian differentiation (BOD) and was first detected AOD. Next, to investigate the differentiation and distribution of Fshb and Lhb-producing cells in the pituitary of fish throughout gonadal sex differentiation, immunohistochemical analysis was used to detect teleost GTH subunits. Positive immunoreactivity against Fshb and Lhb was not detected in the pituitary BOD; Fshb and Lhb-positive cells first appeared in the pituitary AOD. It therefore seems unlikely that pituitary gonadotropins play a major role in the control of gonadal sex differentiation in the Malabar grouper.
AB - The aim of this study was to clarify the roles of 2 gonadotropins (GTHs), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH), on sex differentiation in the protogynous Malabar grouper, Epinephelus malabaricus. To do this, the mRNA expression patterns of GTH subunits (cga, fshb, and lhb) in the fish pituitary throughout gonadal sex differentiation were investigated. Real-time reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR showed that cga and fshb were present in the undifferentiated and ovarian differentiation stages, and that the expression levels significantly increased after ovarian differentiation (AOD). However, lhb was not expressed before ovarian differentiation (BOD) and was first detected AOD. Next, to investigate the differentiation and distribution of Fshb and Lhb-producing cells in the pituitary of fish throughout gonadal sex differentiation, immunohistochemical analysis was used to detect teleost GTH subunits. Positive immunoreactivity against Fshb and Lhb was not detected in the pituitary BOD; Fshb and Lhb-positive cells first appeared in the pituitary AOD. It therefore seems unlikely that pituitary gonadotropins play a major role in the control of gonadal sex differentiation in the Malabar grouper.
KW - Follicle-stimulating hormone
KW - Gonadotropins
KW - Grouper
KW - Luteinizing hormone
KW - Pituitary
KW - Sex differentiation
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U2 - 10.1016/j.ygcen.2012.07.012
DO - 10.1016/j.ygcen.2012.07.012
M3 - Article
C2 - 22841761
AN - SCOPUS:84864914683
SN - 0016-6480
VL - 178
SP - 587
EP - 592
JO - General and Comparative Endocrinology
JF - General and Comparative Endocrinology
IS - 3
ER -