Germ cells are required to maintain a stable sexual phenotype in adult zebrafish
- Authors
- Dranow, D.B., Tucker, R.P., and Draper, B.W.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-130201-18
- Date
- 2013
- Source
- Developmental Biology 376(1): 43-50 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Draper, Bruce
- Keywords
- gem cells, oocyte, sex determination
- MeSH Terms
-
- Animals
- Base Sequence
- Cloning, Molecular
- Female
- Gene Expression Regulation/physiology*
- Germ Cells/cytology
- Germ Cells/metabolism*
- Histological Techniques
- Immunohistochemistry
- In Situ Hybridization
- Male
- Metronidazole
- Models, Biological
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Phenotype*
- Plasmids/genetics
- Sex Determination Processes/physiology*
- Signal Transduction/physiology*
- Stem Cells/cytology
- Stem Cells/metabolism*
- Zebrafish/embryology*
- PubMed
- 23348677 Full text @ Dev. Biol.
Sex in zebrafish is not determined by a major chromosomal locus, but instead relies on a mechanism that is influenced by a germ cell-derived signal, as animals that lack germ cells, or specifically oocytes, develop as phenotypic males. These data suggest that during primary sex determination, an oocyte-derived signal acts on the bipotential somatic gonad to promote the female-specific program. However, it is not known if germ cells are required only during the primary sex-determining window, or if they are required throughout adult life to maintain the female sexual phenotype. Here, we show that while wild-type zebrafish do not switch sex as adults, germ cell-depleted adult females readily convert to a male phenotype. Notably, when oocytes are depleted, but germline stem cells remain, adult females revert to sperm-producing males, indicating that a germ cell-derived signal acts on the somatic gonad to promote female development directly or indirectly by repressing male-specific gene expression. These results also confirm that signals from the somatic gonad in turn ensure that the sex appropriate gamete is produced.