Expression of Vasa, Nanos2 and Sox9 during initial testicular development in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) submitted to sex reversal
Luis H. Melo A * , Rafael M. C. Melo A * , Ronald K. Luz B , Nilo Bazzoli C and Elizete Rizzo
A D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Departamento de Morfologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, UFMG, Av. Antônio Carlos 6627, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
B Laboratório de Aquacultura, Escola de Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos 6627, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
C Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia de Vertebrados, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais, PUC Minas, Av. Dom José Gaspar 500, 30535-610 Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
D Corresponding author. Email: ictio@icb.ufmg.br
Reproduction, Fertility and Development 31(10) 1637-1646 https://doi.org/10.1071/RD18488
Submitted: 1 December 2018 Accepted: 28 April 2019 Published: 17 May 2019
Abstract
Sexual differentiation and early gonadal development are critical events in vertebrate reproduction. In this study, the initial testis development and expression of the Vasa, Nanos2 and Sox9 proteins were examined in Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus submitted to induced sex reversal. To that end, 150 O. niloticus larvae at 5 days post-hatching (dph) were kept in nurseries with no hormonal addition (control group) and 150 larvae were kept with feed containing 17α-methyltestosterone to induce male sex reversal (treated group). Morphological sexual differentiation of Nile tilapia occurred between 21 and 25 dph and sex reversal resulted in 94% males, whereas the control group presented 53% males. During sexual differentiation, gonocytes (Gon) were the predominant germ cells, which decreased and disappeared after that stage in both groups. Undifferentiated spermatogonia (Aund) were identified at 21 dph in the control group and at 23 dph in the treated group. Differentiated spermatogonia (Adiff) were found at 23 dph in both groups. Vasa and Nanos2 occurred in Gon, Aund and Adiff and there were no significant differences between groups. Vasa-labelled Adiff increased at 50 dph in both groups and Nanos2 presented a high proportion of labelled germ cells during sampling. Sertoli cells expressed Sox9 throughout the experiment and its expression was significantly greater during sexual differentiation in the control group. The results indicate that hormonal treatment did not alter initial testis development and expression of Vasa and Nanos2 in Nile tilapia, although lower expression of Sox9 and a delay in sexual differentiation was detected in the treated group.
Additional keywords: developmental biology, germ cells, methyltestosterone, Sertoli cells, sexual differentiation, testis.
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