Steroid hormones have been proven as a key drive of sex change in sequentially hermaphroditic organisms. However, the upstream mechanism of sex steroid hormones regulation that affect sex change remain unknown. The main glucocorticoid in teleost fish is cortisol, which both regulates steroidogenesis and has antistress action. Thus, cortisol might be one of the prime factors in sex change. In this study, the glucocorticoid-induced leucine zipper (GILZ) gene, was proven to have a dramatic effect in orange-spotted groupers (Epinephelus coioides) during sex change at the early stage of gonadal transition. The specific action of the GILZ protein is at the pouch-shaped proliferative spermatogonia instead of the degenerative oocyte at the onset of sex change. Immunohistochemical (IHC) evidence revealed that GILZ performs intensively at undifferentiated spermatogonia in the early testis stage. These results imply that cortisol provokes a rise of GILZ through regulation caused by steroid hormones leading to sex change.

中文翻译：

---

雌性橙色斑点石斑鱼石斑鱼性别改变期间性腺糖皮质激素诱导的亮氨酸拉链（GILZ）蛋白表达的特征。

类固醇激素已被证明是顺序雌雄同体生物中性别变化的关键驱动力。但是，影响性别变化的性类固醇激素调节的上游机制仍然未知。硬骨鱼中的主要糖皮质激素是皮质醇，它既能调节类固醇生成又具有抗应激作用。因此，皮质醇可能是性别变化的主要因素之一。在这项研究中，糖皮质激素诱导的亮氨酸拉链（GILZ）基因在性腺转变的早期，在性别变化期间被证明对橙斑石斑鱼（Epinephelus coioides）具有显著作用。GILZ蛋白的特异性作用是在发生性变化时出现在袋状增生性精原细胞上，而不是变性卵母细胞上。免疫组织化学（IHC）证据表明，GILZ在睾丸早期阶段在未分化的精原细胞中表现出强烈的表现。这些结果表明，皮质醇通过类固醇激素引起的性别调节引起的GILZ升高。