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Aromatase (P450arom) and 11β-hydroxylase (P45011β) genes are differentially expressed during the sex change process of the protogynous rice field eel, monopterus albus

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Abstract

Steroids are known to play a crucial role in gonadal sex differentiation in many non-mammalian vertebrates, but also in the gonadal sex change of hermaphroditic teleosts. We investigated the expression of two genes encoding key steroidogenic enzymes, i.e., cytochrome P450 aromatase (P450arom) and cytochrome P45011β-hydroxylase (P45011β), during the sex change of the protogynous rice field eel, Monopterus albus. Using RT-PCR with degenerate primers, we cloned rice field eel homologous fragments for both genes (rcP450arom and rcP45011β) as indicated by the high level of homology with P450arom and P45011β sequences from various vertebrates. Gonadal expression of rcP450arom and rcP45011β mRNA levels were then assessed during the sex change by semi-quantitative RT-PCR and a real-time RT-PCR. rcP450arom was predominantly expressed in ovary, much less in ovotestis, and barely in testis. Conversely, P45011β was markedly up-regulated at the onset of testicular development. These findings underline that regulation of steroidogenesis is an important process in the sex change of protogynous rice field eel, and they clearly indicate that the concomitant down-regulation of P450arom and up-regulation of P45011β are of pivotal importance to the sex change of this species.

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Acknowledgments

We thank all members of the INRA-SCRIBE laboratory for helpful advice and technical assistance. We also thank Dr. Xiao from our laboratory for animal assistance. The research was financed by the Chinese-French Cooperation Fund of Hunan Science and Technology Bureau (no. 25990217) and Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province (no. 24000207). The first author (JFL) received a 6-month fellowship from INRA to support her work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Fish Developmental Biology of State Education Ministry of China, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081, Hunan, People’s Republic of China

    Ji-Fang Liu & Shao-Jun Liu

  2. INRA-SCRIBE, IFR 140, Campus de Beaulieu, 35042, Rennes Cedex, France

    Ji-Fang Liu & Yann Guiguen

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  1. Ji-Fang Liu
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  2. Yann Guiguen
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Correspondence to Shao-Jun Liu.

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Liu, JF., Guiguen, Y. & Liu, SJ. Aromatase (P450arom) and 11β-hydroxylase (P45011β) genes are differentially expressed during the sex change process of the protogynous rice field eel, monopterus albus . Fish Physiol Biochem 35, 511–518 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10695-008-9255-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10695-008-9255-9

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