Sex differentiation and sex change in the protandrous black porgy, Acanthopagrus schlegeli

Gen Comp Endocrinol. 2010 Jul 1;167(3):417-21. doi: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2009.11.003. Epub 2009 Nov 14.

Abstract

Protandrous black porgy fish, Acanthopagrus schlegeli, have a striking life cycle with a male sex differentiation at the juvenile stage and male-to-female sex change at 3 years of age. We had characterized the sex differentiation and sex change in this species by the integrative approaches of histology, endocrine and molecular genetics. The fish differentiated in gonad at the age around 4-months and the gonad further developed with a bisexual gonad for almost for 3 years and sex change at 3 year of age. An antagonistic relationship in the testicular and ovarian tissues was found during the development of the gonadal tissue. Male- (such as sf-1, dmrt1, dax-1 and amh) and female- (such as wnt4, foxl2 and cyp19a1a) promoting genes were associated with testicular and ovarian development, respectively. During gonadal sex differentiation, steroidogenic pathway and estrogen signaling were also highly expressed in the brain. The increased expression of sf-1 and wnt4, cyp19a1a in ovarian tissue and decreased expression of dax-1 in the ovarian tissue may play important roles in sex change from a male-to-female. Endocrine factors such as estradiol and luteinizing hormone may also involve in the natural sex change. Estradiol induced the expression of female-promoting genes and resulted in the precocious sex change in black porgy. Our series of studies shed light on the sex differentiation and sex change in protandrous black porgy and other animals.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Brain / growth & development
  • Brain / metabolism
  • Brain / physiology
  • Female
  • Gene Expression Profiling
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
  • Gonads / growth & development
  • Gonads / metabolism
  • Gonads / physiology
  • Hermaphroditic Organisms*
  • Male
  • Neuronal Plasticity / genetics
  • Neuronal Plasticity / physiology
  • Perciformes / genetics
  • Perciformes / metabolism
  • Perciformes / physiology*
  • Sex Determination Processes*
  • Sex Differentiation / drug effects
  • Sex Differentiation / genetics
  • Sex Differentiation / physiology*