Cortisol-induced masculinization: does thermal stress affect gonadal fate in pejerrey, a teleost fish with temperature-dependent sex determination?

Masculinizing effect of background color and cortisol in a flatfish with environmental sex-determination

Environmental sex-determination (ESD) is the phenomenon by which environmental factors regulate sex-determination, typically occurring during a critical period of early development. Southern flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma) exhibit temperature-dependent sex-determination that appears to be restricted to the presumed XX female genotype with the extremes of temperature, both high and low, skewing sex ratios toward males. In order to evaluate other environmental factors that may influence sex-determination, we investigated the influence of background color and cortisol on sex-determination in southern flounder. Experiments involving three sets of tanks, each painted a different color, were conducted at different temperatures using southern flounder of mixed XX-XY genotype. The studies involved rearing juvenile southern flounder in either black, gray, or blue tanks and sex-determination was assessed by gonadal histology. In both studies, blue tanks showed significant male-biased sex ratios (95 and 75% male) compared with black and gray tanks. The stress corticosteroid cortisol may mediate sex-determining processes associated with environmental variables. Cortisol from the whole body was measured throughout the second experiment and fishes in blue tanks had higher levels of cortisol during the period of sex-determination. These data suggest that background color can be a cue for ESD, with blue acting as a stressor during the period of sex-determination, and ultimately producing male-skewed populations. In a separate study using XX populations of southern flounder, cortisol was applied at 0, 100, or 300 mg/kg of gelatin-coated feed. Fish were fed intermittently prior to, and just through, the period of sex-determination. Levels of gonadal P450 aromatase (cyp19a1) and forkhead transcription factor L2 (FoxL2) messenger RNA (mRNA) were measured by qRT-PCR as markers for differentiation into females. Müllerian-inhibiting substance mRNA was used as a marker of males' gonadal development. Control fish showed female-biased sex ratios approaching 100%, whereas treatment with 100 mg/kg cortisol produced 28.57% females and treatment with 300 mg/kg cortisol produced only 13.33% females. These results suggest that cortisol is a critical mediator of sex-determination in southern flounder by promoting masculinization. This linkage between the endocrine stress axis and conserved sex-determination pathways may provide a mechanism for adaptive modification of sex ratio in a spatially and temporally variable environment.

Presence of 11-ketotestosterone in pre-differentiated male gonads of Odontesthes bonariensis

The involvement of androgens during sex differentiation period was investigated in the pejerrey Odontesthes bonariensis, by classic biochemical studies and gonadal histology. We studied in particular whether the enzyme activities involved in 11-oxygenated androgen production were active in a gonadal/peritoneum complex (GPC) of very small larvae exposed to masculinizing temperatures previous to morphological sex differentiation (5 weeks post-hatching). The GPC was incubated with 17-hydroxyprogesterone ((3)H-17P), and the presence of 11-KT as major metabolite in early gonads undergoing masculine pathway after temperature treatment exposure is reported. 11-KT was identified by thin-layer chromatography and high-pressure liquid chromatography. The present results show that 11-KT is produced at very early stages of testis development in pejerrey, being this androgen one of the main mediators of the masculinization induced by temperature treatment at the gonad level.

The cortisol and androgen pathways cross talk in high temperature-induced masculinization: the 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase as a key enzyme

In many ectotherm species the gonadal fate is modulated by temperature early in life [temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD)] but the transducer mechanism between temperature and gonadal differentiation is still elusive. We have recently shown that cortisol, the glucocorticoid stress-related hormone in vertebrates, is involved in the TSD process of pejerrey, Odontesthes bonariensis. Particularly, all larvae exposed to a male-producing temperature (MPT, 29 C) after hatching showed increased whole-body cortisol and 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT; the main bioactive androgen in fish) levels and developed as males. Moreover, cortisol administration at an intermediate, mixed sex-producing temperature (MixPT, 24 C) caused increases in 11-KT and in the frequency of males, suggesting a relation between this glucocorticoid and androgens during the masculinization process. In order to clarify the link between stress and masculinization, the expression of hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (hsd)11b2, glucocorticoid receptors gr1 and gr2, and androgen receptors ar1 and ar2 was analyzed by quantitative real time PCR and in situ hybridization in larvae reared at MPT, MixPT, and female-producing temperature (FPT, 17 C) during the sex determination period. We also analyzed the effects of cortisol treatment in larvae reared at MixPT and in adult testicular explants incubated in vitro. MPT and cortisol treatment produced significant increases in hsd11b2 mRNA expression. Also, gonadal explants incubated in the presence of cortisol showed increases of 11-KT levels in the medium. Taken together these results suggest that cortisol promotes 11-KT production during high temperature-induced masculinization by modulation of hsd11b2 expression and thus drives the morphogenesis of the testes.

Feminization and altered gonadal gene expression profile by ethinylestradiol exposure to pejerrey, Odontesthes bonariensis, a South American teleost fish

In pejerrey (Odontesthes bonariensis), ovarian differentiation has been associated with gonadal aromatase expression. It is also known that exposure of pejerrey larvae to estradiol (E(2)) produces all female populations. During the last few years, the presence of ethinylestradiol (EE(2)), a synthetic E(2) analogue, has been reported in water reservoirs of different parts of the world. In the present study, the effects of EE(2) were assessed on sex ratio bias and gene expression levels of gonadal aromatase (cyp19a1a), 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (hsd11b2), estrogens (erα, erβ1), and androgen receptors (arα, arβ). Pejerrey larvae were fed with commercial food containing EE(2) (0.1 and 1 µg/g) and E(2 ) (50 µg/g) as a positive control for six weeks after hatching. The gonadal histological analysis showed that 42 to 46% of the fish had clearly differentiated ovaries in both the EE(2) - and E(2) -treated groups, compared with 27% in the control group. Moreover, in the EE(2) - (1 µg/g) and E(2) -treated groups, no fish presented signs of testicular development compared with controls. In addition, expression of cyp19a1a and hsd11b2 was significantly up- and downregulated, respectively, by EE(2) and E(2) . The authors' results suggested that the feminization process driven by EE(2) depends on the positive balance of cyp19a1a in relation to hsd11b2. Thus, these genes can be used as early indicators of exposure to xenoestrogens in this species.

Effects of a glucocorticoid receptor agonist, dexamethasone, on fathead minnow reproduction, growth, and development

Synthetic glucocorticoids are pharmaceutical compounds prescribed in human and veterinary medicine as anti-inflammatory agents and have the potential to contaminate natural watersheds via inputs from wastewater treatment facilities and confined animal-feeding operations. Despite this, few studies have examined the effects of this class of chemicals on aquatic vertebrates. To generate data to assess potential risk to the aquatic environment, we used fathead minnow 21-d reproduction and 29-d embryo-larvae assays to determine reproductive toxicity and early-life-stage effects of dexamethasone. Exposure to 500 µg dexamethasone/L in the 21-d test caused reductions in fathead minnow fecundity and female plasma estradiol concentrations and increased the occurrence of abnormally hatched fry. Female fish exposed to 500 µg dexamethasone/L also displayed a significant increase in plasma vitellogenin protein levels, possibly because of decreased spawning. A decrease in vitellogenin messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression in liver tissue from females exposed to the high dexamethasone concentration lends support to this hypothesis. Histological results indicate that a 29-d embryo-larval exposure to 500 µg dexamethasone/L caused a significant increase in deformed gill opercula. Fry exposed to 500 µg dexamethasone/L for 29 d also exhibited a significant reduction in weight and length compared with control fry. Taken together, these results indicate that nonlethal concentrations of a model glucocorticoid receptor agonist can impair fish reproduction, growth, and development.

Adverse effects in wild fish living downstream from pharmaceutical manufacture discharges

A set of biochemical and histological responses was measured in wild gudgeon collected upstream and downstream of urban and pharmaceutical manufacture effluents. These individual end-points were associated to fish assemblage characterisation. Responses of biotransformation enzymes, neurotoxicity and endocrine disruption biomarkers revealed contamination of investigated stream by a mixture of pollutants. Fish from sampled sites downstream of the industrial effluent exhibited also strong signs of endocrine disruption including vitellogenin induction, intersex and male-biased sex-ratio. These individual effects were associated to a decrease of density and a lack of sensitive fish species. This evidence supports the hypothesis that pharmaceutical compounds discharged in stream are involved in recorded endocrine disruption effects and fish population disturbances and threaten disappearance of resident fish species. Overall, this study gives argument for the utilisation of an effect-based monitoring approach to assess impacts of pharmaceutical manufacture discharges on wild fish populations.

From the origin of sex-determining factors to the evolution of sex-determining systems

Sex determination is typically classified as either genotypic or environmental. However, this dichotomy obscures the developmental origin and evolutionary modification of determinants of sex, and therefore hinders an understanding of the processes that generates diversity in sex-determining systems. Recent research on reptiles and fish emphasizes that sex determination is a multifactorial regulatory process that is best understood as a threshold dichotomy rather than as the result of genetically inherited triggers of development. Here we critically assess the relationship between the developmental origin of sex-determining factors and evolutionary transitions in sex-determining systems. Our perspective emphasizes the importance of both genetic and nongenetic causes in evolution of sex determination and may help to generate predictions with respect to the evolutionary patterns of sex-determining systems and the underlying diversity of developmental and genetic regulatory networks.

Preliminary data on the influence of rearing temperature on the growth and reproductive status of fathead minnows Pimephales promelas

An investigation into the influence of temperature on the growth and reproductive status of the fathead minnow Pimephales promelas revealed that, while there was no clear effect of treatment on sex differentiation, ovarian tissue from female fish reared under the highest temperature regime contained large amounts of undefined tissue containing no germ cells. Furthermore, both male and female fish exhibited differences in length mass, condition and somatic indices, and in the expression of secondary sexual characteristics. The patterns observed are discussed in the context of climate change.

Characterization of two functional glucocorticoid receptors in the marine medaka Oryzias dancena

The cDNAs that encode the glucocorticoid receptors odGR1 and odGR2 were cloned from a euryhaline teleost, the marine medaka (Oryzias dancena). The open reading frames of odGR1 and odGR2 encode 790 and 783 amino acids, respectively, and show a sequence identity of 46% with each other. When inter- and intra-species comparisons of the GR domains were made, the N-terminal AF-1 (A/B) and hinge (D) domains showed relatively low identities, whereas the DNA-binding (C) domain (DBD) and ligand-binding (E) domain showed relatively high identities. Through phylogenetic analysis, we revealed that odGR1 and odGR2 belong to the teleost GR1 and GR2 groups, respectively. Transfection of odGR1 or odGR2 expression vectors into COS-7 cells along with a reporter vector demonstrated that cortisol and dexamethasone dose-dependently induce transcriptional activity in both GRs. As described in other teleostean fish, the transactivity of odGR2 was more sensitive at far lower concentrations of ligands than the transactivity of odGR1. When treated with aldosterone, the reporter gene was activated in COS-7 cells transfected with odGR2 but not in cells transfected with odGR1. RU486 inhibited transactivation by both GRs, but odGR2 was less sensitive to the inhibitor. Interestingly, alterations in coregulators, GRIP-1 and SMILE, mediated transactivation that was more drastic for odGR2 than odGR1. A nine-amino acid insertion (WRARQNTDG) in the DBD of odGR1 had a weak but significant influence on the transactivity of odGR2 with respect to responsiveness to agonists or coregulators. Taken together, these results indicate that the two odGRs possess distinct features not only for ligand sensitivity but also for preferential coregulator recruitment.

Stress hormone masculinizes female morphology and behaviour

Sex steroids play major roles in vertebrate sexual differentiation. Unexpectedly, we now find that exposure to elevated levels of the naturally occurring stress hormone cortisol can also masculinize sexually dimorphic morphological characters and behaviour in adult female mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) in a dose-dependent manner. Females masculinized by cortisol developed elongated anal fins with distal tip features similar to those of mature males. Most masculinized females also attempted to copulate when placed with normal females. Although the mechanism of masculinization is currently unknown, we propose a role for an enzyme that both inactivates cortisol and catalyzes the final step in synthesis of a major teleost androgen. This mechanism may also help explain some previously reported effects of stress on sexual development across vertebrate taxa. Our findings underscore the need to understand the full range of chemicals, both naturally occurring hormones and human-produced endocrine disruptors, that can influence sexual differentiation and reproductive function.

Analysis of sexually dimorphic expression of genes at early gonadogenesis of pejerrey Odontesthes bonariensis using a heterologous microarray

The process of morphological development of a differentiated gonad from an undifferentiated primordium is a very important step of gonadogenesis. Studies on sexually dimorphic gene expression are important to increase our understanding of this process and to investigate how environmental factors such as temperature can regulate gonadal development. The aim of this study was to identify putative genes involved in sex differentiation in pejerrey (Odontesthes bonariensis) reared at male- and female-producing temperatures (MPT and FPT, respectively) using a microarray heterologous from the medaka (Oryzias latipes), a closely phylogenetic species. Genes related to numerous processes presented higher expression at MPT, including those involved in muscular contraction, metabolic pathways, developmental processes, and reproduction. Genes induced by FPT were classified under the gene ontology terms of response to stimulus, transport and proteolysis. From genes selected for validation, at MPT ndrg3 expression was observed in the somatic cells, whereas pen-2 was detected in germ cells in the caudal portion of the gonads, where no apoptotic signals were observed. Finally, hsp90 was highly expressed in somatic cells of the gonads at the FPT. The results suggest that the interplay of pro-apoptotic and anti-apoptotic genes is important during the masculinization process and for the prevention of sterility following exposure to warm temperatures.

Implications of climate change for the reproductive capacity and survival of New World silversides (family Atherinopsidae)

The New World silversides (family Atherinopsidae) are found in marine, estuarine and inland waters of North, Central and South America, where they are ecologically important as forage fishes and sometimes economically important for commercial and recreational fisheries. This report reviews the knowledge of the reproductive attributes of temperate and subtropical atherinopsids in relation to temperature and discusses the potential effects of climate change on their reproduction and adaptive responses. Their reproductive cycles are primarily entrained by photoperiod with high temperature acting as a limiting factor. They are generally multiple spawners which release successive batches of eggs in spring, but some species can spawn also in autumn and even summer when temperatures do not increase excessively. The decoupling of temperature patterns and photoperiod with further global warming and associated asymmetric thermal fluctuations could lead to spawning at times or temperatures that are unsuitable for larval development and growth. Many members of this family show temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD), where the phenotypic sex of an individual is determined partly or wholly by the temperature experienced during gonadal sex differentiation, and high-temperature induced germ cell degeneration and decreased fertility. The predicted short-term reproductive responses of atherinopsids to climate change therefore include acceleration, shortening or overall disruption of spawning activity, and also more subtle, but nonetheless equally population-threatening, dysfunctions such as highly skewed sex ratios and partial or total loss of fertility. In the case of species with TSD, asymmetric thermal fluctuations could also cause larvae to encounter temperatures lower than normal during early development and be feminized. Such dysfunctions have been documented already in natural populations but are confined so far to landlocked, inland water habitats, perhaps because they impose more severe thermal fluctuations and limitations to migration and dispersal. The severity and recurrence of these dysfunctions with further climate change will depend both on the magnitude, speed and pattern of change and on how much (or how fast) physiological and behavioural traits can evolve to match the new conditions imposed by the climate, which is largely unknown. In this regard, compelling evidence is shown that numerous traits, including the sex determination system, are capable of rapid evolution and could mitigate the negative effects of temperature increases on population viability in atherinopsids.

Fish with thermolabile sex determination (TSD) as models to study brain sex differentiation

As fish are ectothermic animals, water temperature can affect their basic biological processes such as larval development, growth and reproduction. Similar to reptiles, the incubation temperature during early phases of development is capable to modify sex ratios in a large number of fish species. This phenomenon, known as thermolabile sex determination (TSD) was first reported in Menidia menidia, a species belonging to the family Atherinopsidae. Since then, an increasing number of fish have also been found to exhibit TSD. Traditionally, likewise in reptiles, several TSD patterns have been described in fish, however it has been recently postulated that only one, females at low temperatures and males at high temperatures, may represent the "real" or "true" TSD. Many studies regarding the influence of temperature on the final sex ratios have been focused on the expression and activity of gonadal aromatase, the enzyme involved in the conversion of androgens into estrogens and encoded by the cyp19a1a gene. In this regard, teleost fish, may be due to a whole genome duplication event, produce another aromatase enzyme, commonly named brain aromatase, encoded by the cyp19a1b gene. Contrary to what has been described in other vertebrates, fish exhibit very high levels of aromatase activity in the brain and therefore they synthesize high amounts of neuroestrogens. However, its biological significance is still not understood. In addition, the mechanism whereby temperature can induce the development of a testis or an ovary still remains elusive. In this context the present review is aimed to discuss several theories about the possible role of brain aromatase using fish as models. The relevance of brain aromatase and therefore of neuroestrogens as the possible cue for gonadal differentiation is raised. In addition, the possible role of brain aromatase as the way to keep the high levels of neurogenesis in fish is also considered. Several key examples of how teleosts and aromatase regulation can offer more insight into basic mechanisms of TSD are also reviewed.

Molecular characterization of cyp11a1 and cyp11b1 and their gene expression profile in pejerrey (Odontesthes bonariensis) during early gonadal development

Sex steroids are known to be involved in gonadal differentiation in fish, but whether androgens are early mediators of testis differentiation remains unclear. We studied the sex-related developmental variations in the gene expression of two key enzymes involved in steroids and androgen synthesis (cyp11a1 and cyp11b1) in trunks and isolated gonads of pejerrey (Odontesthes bonariensis) larvae during and after the sex determination period. Also, and in order to have a better characterization of this process we studied the expression of Sertoli (dmrt1, amh, sox9) and Leydig (nr5a1 or sf-1) cell markers as well as a gene with higher expression in females (cyp19a1a). No clear differences were observed in the expression of cyp11a1 and cyp11b1 during the temperature-sensitive window in the trunk of pejerrey larvae. Nevertheless, a clear increase of cyp11b1 was observed in isolated gonads taken from fish reared at the male producing temperature. In these gonads we also confirmed the trends of genes with higher expression in males (dmrt1, amh) and females (cyp19a1a) as previously described in larval trunks of pejerrey. Our results showed that the expression of cyp11b1 was positively associated with the morphological differentiation of the testis. Nevertheless the involvement of 11-oxygenated androgens during the temperature-sensitive window could not be clearly established.