文章基本信息

标题：Estrogen oversees the maintenance of the female genetic program in terminally differentiated gonochorists
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作者：B. Paul-Prasanth ; R. K. Bhandari ; T. Kobayashi 等
期刊名称：Scientific Reports
电子版ISSN：2045-2322
出版年度：2013
卷号：3
DOI：10.1038/srep02862
出版社：Springer Nature
摘要：The sexual plasticity of the gonads is not retained after the completion of sex differentiation in vertebrates, except in some hermaphroditic species. Here, we report that the depletion of estradiol-17β (E₂) by aromatase inhibitors (AI) for up to six months resulted in a functional female-to-male sex reversal in sexually-mature adults of two gonochoristic fish species, Nile tilapia and medaka. The sex-reversed fish showed a typical male pattern of E₂ and androgen levels, secondary sexual characteristics, and male-like sex behavior, producing fertile sperm. Conversely, co-treatment of E₂ inhibited AI-induced sex reversal. In situ hybridization of medaka gonads during AI-induced sex reversal indicated that cysts on the dorsal side of the adult ovaries are the origin of germ cells and Sertoli cells in the newly formed testicular tissue. Gonochoristic fish maintain their sexual plasticity until adulthood and E₂ plays a critical role in maintaining the female phenotype.