title: Updating control of puberty in male European sea bass: A holistic approach.
abstract: Puberty is the process by which an immature animal acquires the ability to reproduce for the first time; its onset occurs soon after sexual differentiation and is characterized by the beginning of gametogenesis in both sexes. Here we present new insights on when and how the onset of puberty occurs in male European sea bass, its dependence on reaching a critical size, and how it can be controlled by photoperiod, revealing the existence of a photolabile period with important applications in aquaculture. Regarding size, apparently only European sea bass above a certain size threshold attain the ability to carry out gametogenesis during their first year of life, while their smaller counterparts fail to do so. This could imply that fish need to achieve an optimal threshold of hormone production, particularly from the kisspeptin/Gnrh/Gth systems, in order to initiate and conclude puberty. However, a long-term restricted feeding regime during the second year of life did not prevent the onset of puberty, thus suggesting that the fish are able to maintain the reproductive function, even at the expense of other functions. Finally, the study of daily hormonal rhythms under different photoperiod regimes revealed the equivalence between their core values and those of seasonal rhythms, in such a way that the daily rhythms could be considered as the functional units of the seasonal rhythms.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Acuicultura de Torre de la Sal (CSIC), Ribera de Cabanes 12595, Torre de la Sal, Castellón, Spain. Electronic address: manuelcarrilloestevez@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carrillo
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Acuicultura de Torre de la Sal (CSIC), Ribera de Cabanes 12595, Torre de la Sal, Castellón, Spain. Electronic address: felipe.espigares@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Felipe
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Espigares
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Acuicultura de Torre de la Sal (CSIC), Ribera de Cabanes 12595, Torre de la Sal, Castellón, Spain. Electronic address: aliciafelip@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Alicia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Felip
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Acuicultura de Torre de la Sal (CSIC), Ribera de Cabanes 12595, Torre de la Sal, Castellón, Spain. Electronic address: s.escobar.a@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Escobar
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Acuicultura de Torre de la Sal (CSIC), Ribera de Cabanes 12595, Torre de la Sal, Castellón, Spain. Electronic address: gremol@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Gregorio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Molés
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Acuicultura de Torre de la Sal (CSIC), Ribera de Cabanes 12595, Torre de la Sal, Castellón, Spain. Electronic address: rafaelusb@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Acuicultura de Torre de la Sal (CSIC), Ribera de Cabanes 12595, Torre de la Sal, Castellón, Spain. Electronic address: v.alvaradoferdz@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Maria Victoria
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Alvarado
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Acuicultura de Torre de la Sal (CSIC), Ribera de Cabanes 12595, Torre de la Sal, Castellón, Spain. Electronic address: a.gomez@csic.es.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gómez
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Acuicultura de Torre de la Sal (CSIC), Ribera de Cabanes 12595, Torre de la Sal, Castellón, Spain. Electronic address: s.zanuy@csic.es.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zanuy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001492:Bass / Q000502:physiology*; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000528:radiation effects; D004703:Endocrine System / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D017440:Photoperiod; D012733:Sex Differentiation / Q000528:radiation effects; D012741:Sexual Maturation / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects
keywords: Critical size; Daily-seasonal rhythms; European sea bass; Kisspeptins; Photolabile period; Puberty