title: Testosterone triggers the brain-pituitary-gonad axis of juvenile female catfish (Heteropneustes fossilis Bloch) for precocious ovarian maturation.
abstract: The brain-pituitary-gonad axis of precociously matured females (PMFs) of Indian catfish (Heteropneustes fossilis), produced by testosterone treatment during juvenile stages, was analyzed by studies on immunoreactive gonadotropin-releasing hormone (ir-GnRH) secreting cells of the preoptic area of brain, plasma levels of gonadotropin (GtH-II), testosterone (T), and estradiol-17 beta (E(2)). GnRH cells of PMFs were large and strongly immunoreactive in comparison to control females. PMFs showed higher plasma levels of GtH-II, T, and E(2) than did control females. The ovaries of PMFs contained ripe ova, whereas control females had ova at maturing stages. This study suggests testosterone-mediated activation of the brain-pituitary-ovarian axis for precocious maturation in juvenile catfish.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Physiology, Bose Institute, P-1/12, CIT Scheme VII M, Calcutta-700 054, India.
authors.forename: Basant K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Tiwary
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kirubagaran
authors.forename: Arun K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Ray
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002397:Catfishes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D004958:Estradiol / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000097:blood; D006062:Gonadotropins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000097:blood; D010053:Ovary / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D011301:Preoptic Area / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D012741:Sexual Maturation / Q000502:physiology*; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D006062:Gonadotropins; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone; D013739:Testosterone; D004958:Estradiol