Activity of the pituitary-gonadal axis is increased prior to the onset of spawning migration of chum salmon.
The activity of the pituitary-gonadal axis (PG axis) in pre-migratory and homing chum salmon was examined because endocrine mechanisms underlying the onset of spawning migration remain unknown. Pre-migratory fish were caught in the central Bering Sea in June, July and September 2001, 2002 and 2003, and in the Gulf of Alaska in February 2006. They were classified into immature and maturing adults on the basis of gonadal development. The maturing adults commenced spawning migration to coastal areas by the end of summer, because almost all fish in the Bering Sea were immature in September. In the pituitaries of maturing adults, the copy numbers of FSHbeta mRNA and the FSH content were 2.5- to 100-fold those of the immature fish. Similarly, the amounts of LHbeta mRNA and LH content in the maturing adults were 100- to 1000-fold those of immature fish. The plasma levels of testosterone, 11-ketotestosterone and estradiol were higher than 10 nmol l(-1) in maturing adults, but lower than 1.0 nmol l(-1) in immature fish. The increase in the activity of the PG-axis components had already initiated in the maturing adults while they were still in the Gulf of Alaska in winter. In the homing adults, the pituitary contents and the plasma levels of gonadotropins and plasma sex steroid hormones peaked during upstream migration from the coast to the natal hatchery. The present results thus indicate that the seasonal increase in the activity of the PG axis is an important endocrine event that is inseparable from initiation of spawning migration of chum salmon.
Onuma
Takeshi A
TA
Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8581, Japan. takeshikiai@msn.com
Sato
Shunpei
S
Katsumata
Hiroshi
H
Makino
Keita
K
Hu
Weiwei
W
Jodo
Aya
A
Davis
Nancy D
ND
Dickey
Jon T
JT
Ban
Masatoshi
M
Ando
Hironori
H
Fukuwaka
Masa-Aki
MA
Azumaya
Tomonori
T
Swanson
Penny
P
Urano
Akihisa
A
D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D025041:Animal Migration / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics; D037201:Follicle Stimulating Hormone, beta Subunit / Q000378:metabolism; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000097:blood; D006066:Gonads / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D006239:Haplotypes / Q000235:genetics; D046228:Microarray Analysis; D017685:Oncorhynchus keta / Q000502:physiology*; D010140:Pacific Ocean; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012621:Seasons; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*
D017931:DNA Primers; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D037201:Follicle Stimulating Hormone, beta Subunit; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; D012333:RNA, Messenger