Prior studies demonstrated that gonadal differentiation in the rice field frog, Hoplobatrachus rugulosus, was of an undifferentiated type since all individuals had ovaries at complete metamorphosis. However, the steroidogenic potential of the gonad is still unknown. In this study, H. rugulosus were obtained by stimulating fertilization in the laboratory under natural light and temperature conditions. The gonads were collected and their steroidogenic potential was evaluated by determining the expression level of messenger RNA (mRNA) encoding for cytochrome P450 17-hydroxylase/C17-20 lyase (CYP17) and cytochrome P450 aromatase (CYP19) using quantitative real-time RT-PCR and the localization of CYP17 mRNA in tissues by in situ hybridization. The CYP17 mRNA levels in males at 4-11 weeks postmetamorphosis were higher than in female and intersex gonads. This corresponded to their localization in the gonadal tissues, where CYP17 signals were specifically detected in the Leydig cells of the testis at 5-16 weeks postmetamorphosis but was undetectable in all ovary samples. The CYP19 mRNA levels in females at 4-11 weeks postmetamorphosis was higher than in male and intersex gonads, which corresponded with gonadal development, indicating the potential steroidogenic function of the ovary. Based on the present results, the role of CYP17 and CYP19 mRNA in sex differentiation in H. rugulosus may occur after gonadal sex differentiation and the steroidogenic potential of the gonads exhibited a sexual dimorphic pattern. These results provide a crucial basis for further research on the developmental biology in anuran species.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jez.2723 | DOI Listing |
Dev Reprod
December 2024
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, Eulji University, Daejeon 34824, Korea.
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January 2025
Indiana University, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indianapolis, USA. Electronic address:
Mercury is a pervasive environmental toxin with significant negative effects on human health. In occupational settings, incidents such as the Minamata and Niigata disease in Japan and the large-scale methylmercury poisoning in Iraq have highlighted the severe health impacts of mercury exposure. It is widely accepted that all forms of mercury including methylmercury and mercuric chloride have the potential to induce toxic effects in mammals, and there is increasing concern about the impact of environmentally relevant levels of mercury on reproductive functions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeuropharmacology
March 2025
Dept. of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, Section of Pharmacology, University of Catania, Catania, Italy. Electronic address:
The central nervous system is a well-known steroidogenic tissue producing, among others, cholesterol metabolites such as neuroactive steroids, oxysterols and steroid hormones. It is well known that these endogenous molecules affect several receptor classes, including ionotropic GABAergic and NMDA glutamatergic receptors in neurons. It has been shown that also ionotropic purinergic (P2X) receptors are cholesterol metabolites' targets.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSteroids
December 2024
Division of Pharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow 226 031, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziaba 201002, India. Electronic address:
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a heterogeneous endocrine and metabolic disorder associated with insulin resistance (IR) and hyperandrogenism. IR plays a crucial role in the etiology of PCOS. An insulin-sensitizing agent like metformin is most commonly used as an off-label drug for the treatment of PCOS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHum Reprod
December 2024
Cell Physiology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.
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