Effects of Estradiol and Testosterone on the Expression of Growth‐related Genes in Female and Male Nile Tilapia,Oreochromis niloticus |
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| Authors: | Mengmeng Yue Jinliang Zhao Shoujie Tang Yan Zhao |
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| Affiliation: | Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources for Freshwater Aquaculture and Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, China |
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| Abstract: | Nile tilapia exhibits strong sexual growth dimorphism. The potential role of sex steroid hormones in sexual growth dimorphism is not fully understood. We investigated the effects of estradiol (E2) and testosterone (T) on growth rate, plasma sex hormones, and expression of growth hormone (GH)‐insulin‐like growth factor (IGF) axis genes and muscle regulatory factor (MRF) genes in female and male Nile tilapia. The results revealed that serum concentrations of E2 and T were significantly higher after correlative injection (P < 0.05). Compared to male fish, female fish had lower growth rates. E2 increased growth performance in females with no significant effects on males, whereas T significantly increased growth performance in males, with no significant effects on females. In females, E2 significantly increased expression of ghr1, ghr2, igf1, and igf2, while T decreased igf2 and increased ghr1 and ghr2 expression. In males, T increased expression of igf1, igf2, ghr1, and ghr2, and E2 decreased expression of igf1, ghr1, and ghr2. Additionally, E2 and T enhanced the expression of MRF genes (myod1, myod2, myog, and myf5) in female and male fish, respectively. The results suggest that sex steroid hormones play a role in sexual growth dimorphism by regulating the expression of GH‐IGF axis and MRF genes. |
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| Keywords: | GH‐IGF axis genes muscle regulatory genes Nile tilapia sexual growth dimorphism sexual steroid hormone |
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