Endocrine and Transcriptome Changes Associated with Testicular Growth and Differentiation in Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar L.).

ABSTRACT: Sexual maturation of Atlantic salmon males is marked by dramatic endocrine changes and rapid growth of the testes, resulting in an increase in the gonad somatic index (GSI). We examined the association of gonadal growth with serum sex steroids, as well as pituitary and testicular gene expression levels, which were assessed with a DNA oligonucleotide microarray. The testes transcriptome was stable in males with a GSI < 0.08% despite the large difference between the smallest and the largest gonads. Fish with a GSI ≥ 0.23% had 7-17 times higher serum levels of five male steroids and a 2-fold increase in progesterone, without a change in cortisol and related steroids. The pituitary transcriptome showed an upregulation of the hormone-coding genes that control reproduction and behavior, and stru

SUBMITTER: Skjold V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11202266 | biostudies-literature | 2024 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature