Administration of mifepristone can induce masculinization and alter the expression of sex-related genes in Takifugu rubripes

Rui Gao; Hongwei Yan; Huiting Zhou; Mingtao Hu; Yinpeng Ding; Xufang Shen; Jia Wang; Chenqi Wang; Liu Wang; Chen Jiang; Ying Liu; Xiuli Wang; Qi Liu; Pengfei Hu

Aquaculture Reports (Jun 2024)

Administration of mifepristone can induce masculinization and alter the expression of sex-related genes in Takifugu rubripes

Rui Gao,
Hongwei Yan,
Huiting Zhou,
Mingtao Hu,
Yinpeng Ding,
Xufang Shen,
Jia Wang,
Chenqi Wang,
Liu Wang,
Chen Jiang,
Ying Liu,
Xiuli Wang,
Qi Liu,
Pengfei Hu

Affiliations

Rui Gao: Dalian Ocean University, Dalian 116023, China; Key Laboratory of Environment Controlled Aquaculture (Dalian Ocean University), Ministry of Education, 116023, China; The Key Laboratory of Pufferfish Breeding and Culture in Liaoning Province, 116023, China
Hongwei Yan: Dalian Ocean University, Dalian 116023, China; Key Laboratory of Environment Controlled Aquaculture (Dalian Ocean University), Ministry of Education, 116023, China; The Key Laboratory of Pufferfish Breeding and Culture in Liaoning Province, 116023, China; Corresponding authors at: Dalian Ocean University, Dalian 116023, China.
Huiting Zhou: Dalian Ocean University, Dalian 116023, China; Key Laboratory of Environment Controlled Aquaculture (Dalian Ocean University), Ministry of Education, 116023, China; The Key Laboratory of Pufferfish Breeding and Culture in Liaoning Province, 116023, China
Mingtao Hu: Dalian Ocean University, Dalian 116023, China; Key Laboratory of Environment Controlled Aquaculture (Dalian Ocean University), Ministry of Education, 116023, China; The Key Laboratory of Pufferfish Breeding and Culture in Liaoning Province, 116023, China
Yinpeng Ding: Dalian Municipal Service Centre for Marine Development Affairs, Aquatic Sciences Research Department, Dalian 116019, China
Xufang Shen: Dalian Ocean University, Dalian 116023, China; Key Laboratory of Environment Controlled Aquaculture (Dalian Ocean University), Ministry of Education, 116023, China
Jia Wang: Dalian Ocean University, Dalian 116023, China; Key Laboratory of Environment Controlled Aquaculture (Dalian Ocean University), Ministry of Education, 116023, China; The Key Laboratory of Pufferfish Breeding and Culture in Liaoning Province, 116023, China
Chenqi Wang: Dalian Ocean University, Dalian 116023, China; Key Laboratory of Environment Controlled Aquaculture (Dalian Ocean University), Ministry of Education, 116023, China; The Key Laboratory of Pufferfish Breeding and Culture in Liaoning Province, 116023, China
Liu Wang: Dalian Ocean University, Dalian 116023, China; Key Laboratory of Environment Controlled Aquaculture (Dalian Ocean University), Ministry of Education, 116023, China; The Key Laboratory of Pufferfish Breeding and Culture in Liaoning Province, 116023, China
Chen Jiang: Dalian Ocean University, Dalian 116023, China; College of Fisheries and Life Science, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian 116023, China
Ying Liu: Key Laboratory of Environment Controlled Aquaculture (Dalian Ocean University), Ministry of Education, 116023, China; College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Xiuli Wang: Dalian Ocean University, Dalian 116023, China; Key Laboratory of Environment Controlled Aquaculture (Dalian Ocean University), Ministry of Education, 116023, China; The Key Laboratory of Pufferfish Breeding and Culture in Liaoning Province, 116023, China
Qi Liu: Dalian Ocean University, Dalian 116023, China; Key Laboratory of Environment Controlled Aquaculture (Dalian Ocean University), Ministry of Education, 116023, China; The Key Laboratory of Pufferfish Breeding and Culture in Liaoning Province, 116023, China; Corresponding authors at: Dalian Ocean University, Dalian 116023, China.
Pengfei Hu: Inner Mongolia Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Technology Promotion Center, Inner Mongolia, 015199, China

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 36
p. 102172

Abstract

Read online

Fugu (Takifugu rubripes) is a commercially important fish in aquaculture in China, Japan, and Korea. Male fugu are highly prized compared to females because the mature testes are regarded as a delicacy, thus all-male populations are preferred in aquaculture. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying sex differentiation in fugu remain largely unclear. Progestins, which are mediated by the progesterone receptor, can initiate spermatogenesis or ovarian differentiation in teleosts. To explore the effect of progestin blockage on fugu sex differentiation, the antiprogestin mifepristone (RU486) (500 μg/g of feed) was administrated to fugu larvae from 30 to 90 days after hatching (dah). Histological analysis revealed that RU486 treatment resulted in complete masculinization (100 %) of the XX fugu population at both 120 (RU486 withdrawal 30 days) and 150 (RU486 withdrawal 60 days) dah, and RU486-treated XX gonads developed testes-like structure. Gonadal transcriptomic analysis at 90 dah identified 3595 genes that were differentially expressed (DEGs) between the control and treated groups. Among them, the expression of steroid hormone biosynthesis-related genes (e.g., cyp11c1, cyp19a1a, and hsd17b1) and other key genes (e.g., gsdf, dmrt1, and foxl2) were altered in the gonads of RU486-treated groups. Most of the DEGs were enriched in Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways related to sex differentiation, such as neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, ovarian steroidogenesis, and steroid hormone biosynthesis pathways. The expression of cyp19a1a, foxl2, cyp11c1, gsdf, dmrt3, and dmrt1 at 50, 70, and 90 dah was further assessed. The expression levels of gsdf, dmrt1, and cyp11c1 were increased, and the expression levels of cyp19a1a and foxl2 were decreased in the gonads of XX larvae in RU486 treated groups. These results demonstrated for the first time that RU486 induced masculinization in XX fugu and provided a theoretical basis for further studies of the regulatory role of progestins in sex differentiation in teleosts.

Published in Aquaculture Reports

ISSN: 2352-5134 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: Netherlands
LCC subjects: Agriculture: Aquaculture. Fisheries. Angling
Website: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/aquaculture-reports/

About the journal

Abstract

Keywords