Abstract
Photoperiod plays a role in controlling the initiation and termination of reproduction in fish. Melatonin is an internal transducer of environmental photoperiod and is involved in regulating reproduction. The present study aimed to examine how melatonin impacts the transcript levels of kisspeptin (kiss1 and kiss2), gonadotropin-releasing hormones (gnrh1), and the β-subunit of gonadotropins (fshβ and lhβ) in the brain of the sapphire devil, a tropical damselfish with long photoperiod preference. Feeding mature females with melatonin-containing pellets inhibited increases in the transcript levels of kiss1, gnrh1, and lhβ within 3 h. Continuous melatonin treatment for 1 week resulted in oocyte regression and downregulation of kiss2, gnrh1, fshβ, and lhβ. When the transcript levels of kiss1 and gnrh1 were measured at 4-h intervals in the brain of sapphire devil, a day–high/night–low fluctuation was observed. The hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal (HPG) axis may be influenced by melatonin, exerting a negative effect at night because the transcript levels of aralkylamine N-acetyltransferase (aanat2) increased during the scotophase. The expression of aanat2 was higher under short-day than long-day conditions, suggesting that there is a seasonal change in melatonin levels at night. It was concluded that change in photoperiod becomes a key factor for controlling the hormone synthesis in the HPG axis through melatonin.
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Acknowledgements
We gratefully thank the staff of Sesoko Station, Tropical Biosphere Research Center, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan, for use of facilities.
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This study was supported in part by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) (KAKENHI, Grant number 16H05796) from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) to AT and Heiwa Nakajima Foundation to AT.
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All authors contributed to the design of this research. SI, SPH, and MB collected fish from coral reefs and maintained them under experimental conditions. SI and YT sampled tissues and carried out molecular analyses. SI, AM, and DR analyzed data statistically and discussed about the results under supervision of AT. All authors contributed to the manuscript preparation. All authors revised and commented on all versions of the manuscript, and then approved the final manuscript.
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Supplementary data 1.
Effect of single treatment with melatonin on ovarian histology of the sapphire devil. (A) Cross section of an ovary (CSO) of fish at the onset of the experiment, (B) CSO of the fish 3 h after feeding with melatonin-free pellets, (C) CSO of the fish 3 h after feeding with melatonin-containing pellets, (D) CSO of the fish 6 h after feeding with melatonin-containing pellets. TYS; tertiary yolk stage. Scale bar = 200 μm. (EPS 2890 kb)
Supplementary data 2.
Effect of daily treatment with melatonin on ovarian histology of the sapphire devil. (A) Cross section of an ovary (CSO) of fish at the onset of the experiment, (B) CSO of the fish fed with melatonin-free pellets for 2 weeks (C) CSO of the fish fed with melatonin-containing pellets for 1 week, (D) CSO of the fish fed with melatonin-containing pellets for 2 weeks. AO, atretic oocyte; PNS, peri-nucleolus stage; TYS, tertiary yolk stage. Scale bar = 200μm. (EPS 2819 kb)
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Imamura, S., Hur, SP., Takeuchi, Y. et al. Effect of short- and long-term melatonin treatments on the reproductive activity of the tropical damselfish Chrysiptera cyanea. Fish Physiol Biochem 48, 253–262 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10695-022-01051-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10695-022-01051-x