Sex change in coral reef fish

Gonadal differentiation can take many forms in fish, ranging from gonochorism, where individuals directly develop as male or female and finally possess only testis or ovaries at sexual maturation, to hermaphroditism where the same individuals can produce mature male and female gametes at some time in their lives. Hermaphrodite fish are, thus, an excellent model for studying the plasticity of sex determination and differentiation in vertebrates. We have shown that sex steroids play a principal role in sex differentiation and sex change in fish. Our laboratory implements several fish models that undergo sex change from female to male or male to female or in both directions. In this review, we will briefly discuss recent advances in our understanding of the mechanism of sex change in coral reef fish.     

Off-Season Spawning of Eurasian Perch Perca Fluviatilis

This study was designed to determine the effects of the selection for body weight and of two final warming durations during an out-of-season reproductive cycle on gonad recrudescence, plasma steroid levels and spawning in Eurasian perch Perca fluviatilis males and females. Two different bodyweight classes (200–250 and 350–400 g) and two different warming periods (1 or 2 months) were studied.At the end of the chilling period, a significant effect of the selection for body weight was observed on gonad development whereas fish were the same age. According to higher levels in testosterone (12 ng mL^–1), a better development was recorded for smaller breeders (P < 0.05). A short water warming period up to 14°C (1 month v.s. 2 months) allowed higher rates of females with completed gonadogenesis (33–38% v.s. 7–8%) and spawning (31–33% v.s. 0%) (P < 0.05). Spontaneous out-of-season spawning (17 ribbons) and larvae were obtained. Relative fecundity was about 100 eggs g^–1 of female body weight. Five ribbons were partly fertilized with a rate ranging from 5 to 90%. These studies have shown that delayed spawning in Eurasian perch can be obtained by a temperature manipulation, but results are not sufficient because of low stimulation rate of females, low spawning rates and high heteroge-neity of fertilization rates. The effects of other environmental factors like photoperiod should be tested in further experiment to improve the protocol inducing out-of-season spawning production.     

Growth hormone (GH) and reproduction: a review

Interaction between growth and reproduction occurs in many vertebrates and is particularly obvious at certain stages of the life cycle in fish. Endocrine interactions between the gonadotropic axis and the somatotropic axis are described, the potential role of GH being emphasised. A comparative analysis of these phenomena in mammals, amphibians and fish, suggests a specific role of GH in the physiology of puberty, gametogenesis and fertility. It also shows the original contribution made by studies on the fish model in this field of investigations.     

桃潜蛾性信息素合成技术研究进展

介绍了以化学手段合成桃潜蛾性信息素的技术,从桃潜蛾性信息素合成技术发展的2个阶段(外消旋体的制备阶段、手性化合物的制备阶段)及4种合成方法(5 13,6 12,7 11,8 10方法)进行了综述,展示了其最新的合成路线,并展望了未来发展的趋势.     

Immunolocalization of sex steroid receptors in the epididymis and ductus deferens of immature and mature Japanese Quail, Coturnix Japonica

The goal of this study was to determine whether in the Japanese quail the male genital tract contains receptors for progesterone, androgen and estrogen (PR, AR and ER, respectively), which have significant roles in reproductive functions, and whether their localization changes during sexual maturation. The epididymis and ductus deferens (middle and ampulla regions) of immature (approximately 30-day-old) and mature male Japanese quail were collected and frozen sections of them were immunostained for PR, AR and ER. The immunoreaction products for AR and PR were found in the nuclei of epithelial cells in the efferent ductules, epididymal duct, and the middle and ampulla regions of the ductus deferens of mature and immature birds. In the mature birds, the epithelial cells of the efferent ductules, epididymal duct, and the middle and ampulla regions of the ductus deferens were positive for ER, although some of the cells in the ductus deferens were negative. The epithelial cells of the ductules in the epididymis stained positive for ER, but the immunoreactions were negligible in the ductus deferens of immature birds. These results suggest that the epididymis and ductus deferens in quail possesses PR, AR and ER receptors. Each receptor is expressed before sexual maturation, although enhancement of ER expression may occur during maturation.     

枣粘虫性行为时辰节律的研究

本文利用腺体提取、瓶内收集、触角电位和田间试验等方法对枣粘虫产生和释放性信息素时辰节律进行了研究。其中瓶内收集性信息素的方法,在研究昆虫释放性信息素时辰节律方面报道很少,更重要的是,此法在我们的实验中取得了比较满意的效果。研究结果表明:(1)羽化后1—6天的提取物产生的触角电位无明显差异,说明性信息素在此期间的产生与日龄无关(2)腺体中性信息素的含量高峰在凌晨4点,而从体内往体外释放的高峰在早晨7点。(3)利用处女雌蛾不同时辰的诱蛾量的田间试验也进一步证明了枣粘虫产生和释放性信息素与交配行为在时辰节律上的同步性。     

日粮能量和蛋白水平对双向选择血浆极低密度脂蛋白浓度肉鸡腹脂和产肉性能的影响

对７０８只（公母各半）５～９周龄一世代高、低极低密度脂蛋白（ＶＬＤＬ）系肉鸡进行３个代谢能水平（１３．４，１２．５，１１．６ＭＪ／ｋｇ）和３个粗蛋白水平（２２．４％，１９．４％，１６．４％）的三因子交叉的遗传－营养互作试验，以探讨肉鸡腹脂及屠体性状的遗传、营养、性别间的互作效应。结果表明：日粮对脂肪沉积的影响存在品系差异，品系与日粮代谢能互作对板油有明显影响（Ｐ＜０．０５）；日粮代谢能和粗蛋白对高ＶＬＤＬ系板油的影响大于低ＶＬＤＬ系，高ＶＬＤＬ系板油随日粮代谢能的升高而升高，而低ＶＬＤＬ系无此规律。品系与日粮代谢能互作对肌胃脂率有明显影响（Ｐ＜０．０５），日粮代谢能对低ＶＬＤＬ系肌胃脂的影响大于高ＶＬＤＬ系，而粗蛋白对高ＶＬＤＬ系肌胃脂的影响大于低ＶＬＤＬ系。品系间肌胃脂的差异在不同日粮代谢能水平下表现不一致。品系与日粮互作对产肉性状未产生明显影响。日粮代谢能与性别间的互作对腿肌率有明显影响（Ｐ＜０．０５），雌性腿肌率随代谢能水平的升高而降低。     

Cross‐border ‘Traffic’: Stories of dangerous victims,pure whores and HIV/AIDS in the experiences of mainland female sex workers in Hong Kong

Abstract: In recent years, dramatically increasing numbers of mainland Chinese women have entered Hong Kong to engage in sexual labour. Public discourses on the threat of HIV/AIDS increasingly locate these women's bodies as sites of danger, colluding with pre‐existing imaginations of mainland rural women as ignorant, desperate and deceptive in representing these women's penetration of Hong Kong's border as a primary means of infection of the Hong Kong body. Drawing on state, media and popular representations, and the narratives of female sex workers themselves, this paper examines the interwoven bio‐medical, gendered, sexual and cross‐border relationships that intersect in the experiences of mainland Chinese sex workers in Hong Kong. I argue that while images of disease and danger have been used to regulate these women's bodies, mainland female sex workers challenge these images by drawing on other popular stereotypes of mainland women as pure, feminine and traditional. Although images of the related but still ‘other’ figure of the mainland Chinese woman are powerful mechanisms for the regulation of these women's bodies, mainland female sex workers skilfully use inherent tensions in those images in resisting that control and in struggling to achieve their own personal and economic goals.     

RAPD and SCAR markers linked to the sex expression locus M in asparagus

Bulk segregant analysis (BSA), random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR) methods were used to map molecular markers to the sex locus M of asparagus. Two parents, A19 (male, Mm) and MW25 (female, mm), and 63 progeny were used for the study. Two DNA bulks, one male and one female, were made by pooling equal amounts of DNA from 10 randomly selected progeny of each sex type. A total of 760 arbitrary decamer oligonucleotide primers were used for RAPD analysis. Primer OPC15 produced two RAPD markers, OPC15-98 and OPC15-30, both of which were linked to the M locus at a distance of 1.6 cM. Subsequently, amplified RAPD fragment OPC15-98 was cloned and sequenced. The sequence was then used to design flanking 24-mer oligonucleotide SCAR primers SCC15-1 and SCC15-2. Both of these SCAR primers amplified a single 980 bp fragment; the same size as the cloned RAPD fragment. However, the SCAR marker was dominant as was the original OPC15-98 band from which it was derived. These RAPD and SCAR markers could be used for scoring male and female progeny in the mapping population, but were not found to be applicable to other asparagus germplasm studied. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Are there heteromorphic sex chromosomes in spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.)?

Summary Four varieties and two introductions of Spinacia oleracea are cytologically studied in order to determine whether there is a heteromorphic sex chromosome pair in any of the sexes. It is observed that in one and the same preparation, and regardless of the sex of the plants, different cells had homomorphic and heteromorphic condition for chromosome 1 pair. It is concluded that as a result of differential contraction of chromosomes, the arm ratios and total lengths may vary, and give a distorted impression of certain pair of chromosomes. The absence of heteromorphic pair is confirmed in male and intersex plants by meiotic studies.