GSE159470
Differential regulation of gonadotropins as revealed by transcriptomes of distinct LH and FSH cells of fish pituitary
From mammals to fish, gametogenesis and sexual maturation are driven by luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), the gonadotropic hormones temporally secreted from the pituitary. Teleost fish are an excellent model for addressing the unique regulation and function of each gonadotropin cell because, unlike mammals, they synthesize and secrete LH and FSH from distinct cells. Only two very distant vertebrate classes (fish and birds), demonstrate the mono-hormonal strategy suggesting a potential convergent evolution. By performing cell specific transcriptome analysis of double-labelled transgenic Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) expressing GFP and RFP in LH or FSH cells, respectively, we identified genes specifically enriched in each cell type, revealing differences in hormone regulation, receptors expression, cell signaling, and electrical properties. We found that each LH and FSH cell in fish express unique GPCR signature that reveals the direct regulation of metabolic and homeostatic hormones. Comparing these novel transcriptomes to that of rat gonadotrophs revealed conserved genes that might specifically contribute to each gonadotropin activity in mammals, suggesting conserved mechanisms controlling the differential regulation of gonadotropins in vertebrates. Overall design: RNA-seq of gonadotropic cells from pituitaries of mature females and males tilapia. LH cells, FSH cells, and Negative cells were isolated using FACS from a pool of 20 pituitaries, from each gender. The procedure was repeated 4 times, in total 24 samples were obtained.