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Gonadal remodeling and hormonal regulation during sex change of juvenile dusky grouper Epinephelus marginatus (Teleostei, Serranidae), an endangered protogynous hermaphrodite fish

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Abstract

Sex change was induced in Epinephelus marginatus juveniles using a nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor (AI), a synthetic androgen (17α-methyltestosterone; MT), and a combination of both (MT + AI) in a 90-day experiment. A detailed remodeling of the gonads, the plasma level of gonadal steroids, and immunostaining of pituitary follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and somatolactin (SL) cells were analyzed. Sex inversion reached the final spermatogenesis stages using MT, while AI triggered spermatogenesis, but reaching only the spermatid stage. Estradiol (E2) levels did not change in fish treated with AI but decreased throughout the experimental period in animals treated with MT and MT + AI. Testosterone (T) levels increased in animals treated with MT during the first 60 days (and combined with AI in the first 30 days), decreasing in all experimental groups at 90 days, while AI-treated animals had increased plasma 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT) levels after 90 days. In control fish, FSH- and SL-producing cells (ir-FSH and ir-SL) were restricted to pars intermedia (PI) of the adenohypophysis. Pituitary ir-FSH cells were decreased at the end of the experimental period in all treatments compared with the CT animals. LH-producing cells (ir-LH) were present in proximal pars distalis (PPD) and pars intermedia (PI) of adenohypophysis and did not change after the experimental period. The decreased number of ir-FSH cells at the end of the experiment in all treatments could be related to the negative feedback loop triggered by the increase in natural and/or synthetic androgens.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Instituto de Pesca (Ubatuba/SP) that provided the logistics and facilities for the experiment, Dr. Irani Quagio-Grassiotto (UNESP) for her contribution in gonadal histological analysis, and Dr. H. Kawauchi (School of Fisheries Sciences, Kitasato University, Japan) for donating βLH, βFSH, and SL antisera from chum salmon.

Funding

This study was financially supported by a research grant from FAPESP (2007/59122-7) and CNPq (558992/2009-9). J.A.Rodrigues-Filho also had a FAPESP scholarship (2007/57106-4).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    J. A. Rodrigues-Filho, C. E. O. Garcia, B. C. Araújo & R. G. Moreira

  2. Fundação Instituto de Pesca do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FIPERJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    J. A. Rodrigues-Filho

  3. Departamento de Biologia Celular e do Desenvolvimento, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    C. G. Chehade & M. I. Borella

  4. Instituto de Pesca-APTA/SAA, São Paulo, Brazil

    E. G. Sanches

  5. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Instituto de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental Aplicada (IBBEA), Laboratorio de Ecotoxicología Acuática, CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    F. L. Lo Nostro

  6. Centro de Aquicultura da UNESP (CAUNESP), Jaboticabal, Brazil

    G. S. Branco

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  1. J. A. Rodrigues-Filho
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  2. C. E. O. Garcia
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  6. F. L. Lo Nostro
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  7. B. C. Araújo
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to R. G. Moreira.

Ethics declarations

All experiments were performed in accordance with the Animal Ethics Committee of the Biosciences Institute of the University of São Paulo (Protocol No. 055/2008). This license was based in the guidelines of the Brazilian Federal Law (11.794, of 10/08/2008), which establishes the procedures for the scientific use of animals, and the São Paulo State Law (11.977, of 08/25/2005), which establishes the Animal Protection Code of the State of São Paulo and other rules applicable to the use of animals for teaching and scientific purposes.

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Rodrigues-Filho, J.A., Garcia, C.E.O., Chehade, C.G. et al. Gonadal remodeling and hormonal regulation during sex change of juvenile dusky grouper Epinephelus marginatus (Teleostei, Serranidae), an endangered protogynous hermaphrodite fish. Fish Physiol Biochem 46, 1809–1824 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10695-020-00830-8

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