Expression of dmrt1 and sox9 during gonadal development in the Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii).
The sex differentiation period of the Siberian sturgeon was investigated through expression profiling of two testicular markers (dmrt1 and sox9). At the molecular level, a clear sexual dimorphism of dmrt1 and sox9 was observed in 3-year-old fish with immature gonads, in which males showed higher expression of these genes. Among 16-month-old sturgeons cultured in Uruguay, gonad morphology analyses showed one group of fish with undifferentiated gonads and a second group which had started their histological differentiation into ovaries or testes. dmrt1 showed a significantly higher expression in testes of recently differentiated fish, but this was not the case for sox9. In undifferentiated fish, we observed two clearly different groups in terms of expression: one group of fish over-expressing male markers (dmrt1, sox9) and another group of fish showing very low expression of these genes. This suggests that fish undergoing male differentiation can be identified by their profiles of gene expression before they undergo morphological differentiation.
Laboratorio de Fisiología de la Reproducción y Ecología de Peces, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República Oriental del Uruguay, Iguá 4225, 11400, Montevideo, Uruguay.
Julio
J
Berbejillo
Anabel
A
Martinez-Bengochea
Gabriela
G
Bedó
Denise
D
Vizziano-Cantonnet
D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005399:Fishes / Q000378:metabolism*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000502:physiology*; D006066:Gonads / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D055758:SOX9 Transcription Factor / Q000378:metabolism*; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012741:Sexual Maturation / Q000502:physiology*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D014583:Uruguay
C110547:DMRT1 protein; D055758:SOX9 Transcription Factor; D014157:Transcription Factors