title: Changes of gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor 2 during the anadromous spawning migration in Coilia nasus.
abstract: An increase in the activity of the pituitary-gonad axis (PG-axis) and gonad development are essential for the onset of spawning migration in teleosts. In the fish Coilia nasus, gonad development and spawning migration up the Yangtze River occurs by the end of each summer. We hypothesized that gonadotropin releasing hormones receptor 2 (GnRH-R2), which together produce a signal that interacts with the PG-axis, may help to regulate spawning migration processes.
  
  
  
  In this regard, we (1) characterized the gonadosomatic index (GSI) in the anadromous fish C. nasus; (2) analyzed the GnRH-R2 mRNA expression levels in ovary and brain, and concentrations in the serum; and (3) identified the GnRH-R2 protein distribution in the brain and ovaries. We found strong relationships between all of these indices.
  
  
  
  The results indicate that GnRH-R2 could act together to promote spawning during the anadromous migration. There is some evidence that the GnRH-R2 gene expression levels and protein distributions change in association with the migratory behavior.
authors.affiliation: Freshwater Fisheries Research Center, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, 9 Shanshui Road, Wuxi, 214128, China.
authors.forename: Jin-Rong
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.affiliation: Freshwater Fisheries Research Center, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, 9 Shanshui Road, Wuxi, 214128, China.
authors.forename: Di-An
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.affiliation: Freshwater Fisheries Research Center, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, 9 Shanshui Road, Wuxi, 214128, China.
authors.forename: Min-Ying
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Freshwater Fisheries Research Center, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, 9 Shanshui Road, Wuxi, 214128, China.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Freshwater Fisheries Research Center, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, 9 Shanshui Road, Wuxi, 214128, China.
authors.forename: Yan-Feng
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Freshwater Fisheries Research Center, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, 9 Shanshui Road, Wuxi, 214128, China.
authors.forename: Dong-Po
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Freshwater Fisheries Research Center, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, 9 Shanshui Road, Wuxi, 214128, China. xup@ffrc.cn.
authors.forename: Pao
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Freshwater Animal Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China. ldp@mail.hzau.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Da-Peng
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D025041:Animal Migration; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D029941:Fish Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005399:Fishes / Q000196:embryology* / Q000502:physiology*; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D010053:Ovary / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D029941:Fish Proteins; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone
keywords: Coilia nasus; GnRH-R2; Spawning upstream migration; Yangtze River