Adult sex change leads to extensive forebrain reorganization in clownfish.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Sexual differentiation of the brain occurs in all major vertebrate lineages but is not well understood at a molecular and cellular level. Unlike most vertebrates, sex-changing fishes have the remarkable ability to change reproductive sex during adulthood in response to social stimuli, offering a unique opportunity to understand mechanisms by which the nervous system can initiate and coordinate sexual differentiation.

Methods

This study explores sexual differentiation of the forebrain using single nucleus RNA-sequencing in the anemonefish Amphiprion ocellaris, producing the first cellular atlas of a sex-changing brain.

Results

We uncover extensive sex differences in cell type-specific gene expression, relative proportions of cells, baseline neuronal excitati

SUBMITTER: Parker CG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11267845 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature