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Tovar-Bohórquez O, McKenzie D, Crestel D, Vandeputte M, Geffroy B. Thermal modulation of energy allocation during sex determination in the European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax). Gene 2024; 927:148721. [PMID: 38925525 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2024.148721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2024] [Revised: 06/17/2024] [Accepted: 06/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
Water temperature governs physiological functions such as growth, energy allocation, and sex determination in ectothermic species. The European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) is a major species in European aquaculture, exhibiting early dimorphic growth favoring females. The species has a polygenic sex determination system that interacts with water temperature to determine an individual's sex, with two periods during development that are sensitive to temperature. The current study investigated the influence of water temperature on energy allocation and sex-biased genes during sex determination and differentiation periods. RNA-Sequencing and qPCR analyses were conducted in two separate experiments, of either constant water temperatures typical of aquaculture conditions or natural seasonal thermal regimes, respectively. We focused on eight key genes associated with energy allocation, growth regulation, and sex determination and differentiation. In Experiment 1, cold and warm temperature treatments favored female and male proportions, respectively. The RNA-seq analysis highlighted sex-dependent energy allocation transcripts, with higher levels of nucb1 and pomc1 in future females, and increased levels of egfra and spry1 in future males. In Experiment 2, a warm thermal regime favored females, while a cold regime favored males. qPCR analysis in Experiment 2 revealed that ghrelin and nucb1 were down-regulated by warm temperatures. A significant sex-temperature interaction was observed for pank1a with higher and lower expression for males in the cold and warm regimes respectively, compared to females. Notably, spry1 displayed increased expression in future males at the all-fins stage and in males undergoing molecular sex differentiation in both experimental conditions, indicating that it provides a novel, robust, and consistent marker for masculinization. Overall, our findings emphasize the complex interplay of genes involved in feeding, energy allocation, growth, and sex determination in response to temperature variations in the European sea bass.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - David McKenzie
- MARBEC, Ifremer, IRD, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Palavas-Les-Flots, France
| | - Damien Crestel
- MARBEC, Ifremer, IRD, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Palavas-Les-Flots, France
| | - Marc Vandeputte
- MARBEC, Ifremer, IRD, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Palavas-Les-Flots, France; Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, GABI, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Benjamin Geffroy
- MARBEC, Ifremer, IRD, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Palavas-Les-Flots, France.
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Bókony V, Kalina C, Ujhegyi N, Mikó Z, Lefler KK, Vili N, Gál Z, Gabor CR, Hoffmann OI. Does stress make males? An experiment on the role of glucocorticoids in anuran sex reversal. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY. PART A, ECOLOGICAL AND INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 341:172-181. [PMID: 38155497 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
Environmentally sensitive sex determination may help organisms adapt to environmental change but also makes them vulnerable to anthropogenic stressors, with diverse consequences for population dynamics and evolution. The mechanisms translating environmental stimuli to sex are controversial: although several fish experiments supported the mediator role of glucocorticoid hormones, results on some reptiles challenged it. We tested this hypothesis in amphibians by investigating the effect of corticosterone on sex determination in agile frogs (Rana dalmatina). This species is liable to environmental sex reversal whereby genetic females develop into phenotypic males. After exposing tadpoles during sex determination to waterborne corticosterone, the proportion of genetic females with testes or ovotestes increased from 11% to up to 32% at 3 out of 4 concentrations. These differences were not statistically significant except for the group treated with 10 nM corticosterone, and there was no monotonous dose-effect relationship. These findings suggest that corticosterone is unlikely to mediate sex reversal in frogs. Unexpectedly, animals originating from urban habitats had higher sex-reversal and corticosterone-release rates, reduced body mass and development speed, and lower survival compared to individuals collected from woodland habitats. Thus, anthropogenic environments may affect both sex and fitness, and the underlying mechanisms may vary across ectothermic vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronika Bókony
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Plant Protection Institute, HUN-REN Centre for Agricultural Research, Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Csenge Kalina
- Department of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Nikolett Ujhegyi
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Plant Protection Institute, HUN-REN Centre for Agricultural Research, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Zsanett Mikó
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Plant Protection Institute, HUN-REN Centre for Agricultural Research, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Kinga Katalin Lefler
- Department of Aquaculture, Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Safety, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Science, Gödöllő, Hungary
| | - Nóra Vili
- Department of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Zoltán Gál
- Department of Animal Biotechnology, Institute of Genetics and Biotechnology, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Science, Gödöllő, Hungary
| | - Caitlin R Gabor
- Department of Biology, Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas, USA
| | - Orsolya Ivett Hoffmann
- Department of Animal Biotechnology, Institute of Genetics and Biotechnology, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Science, Gödöllő, Hungary
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Guirandy N, Simon O, Geffroy B, Daffe G, Daramy F, Houdelet C, Gonzalez P, Pierron F. Gamma irradiation-induced offspring masculinization is associated with epigenetic changes in female zebrafish. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2024; 269:115790. [PMID: 38086259 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.115790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Sex ratio variation is a key topic in ecology, because of its direct effects on population dynamics and thus, on animal conservation strategies. Among factors affecting sex ratio, types of sex determination systems have a central role, since some species could have a sex determined by genetic factors, environmental factors or a mix of those two. Yet, most studies on the factors affecting sex determination have focused on temperature or endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), and much less is known regarding other factors. Exposure to gamma irradiation was found to trigger offspring masculinization in zebrafish. Here we aimed at deciphering the potential mechanisms involved, by focusing on stress (i.e. cortisol) and epigenetic regulation of key genes involved in sex differentiation in fish. Cortisol levels in exposed and control (F0) zebrafish females' gonads were similar. However, irradiation increased the DNA methylation level of foxl2a and cyp19a1a in females of the F0 and F1 generation, respectively, while no effects were detected in testis. Overall, our results suggest that parental exposure could alter offspring sex ratio, at least in part by inducing methylation changes in ovaries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noëmie Guirandy
- IRSN/PSE-ENV/SRTE/LECO, Centre de Cadarache-B.P. 3 - Bat 183, 13115 St Paul Lez Durance, France.
| | - Olivier Simon
- IRSN/PSE-ENV/SRTE/LECO, Centre de Cadarache-B.P. 3 - Bat 183, 13115 St Paul Lez Durance, France
| | - Benjamin Geffroy
- MARBEC, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Guillemine Daffe
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, EPOC, UMR 5805, F-33600 Pessac, France
| | - Flore Daramy
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, EPOC, UMR 5805, F-33600 Pessac, France
| | - Camille Houdelet
- MARBEC, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Patrice Gonzalez
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, EPOC, UMR 5805, F-33600 Pessac, France
| | - Fabien Pierron
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, EPOC, UMR 5805, F-33600 Pessac, France
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Wild KH, Roe JH, Schwanz L, Rodgers E, Dissanayake DSB, Georges A, Sarre SD, Noble DWA. Metabolic consequences of sex reversal in two lizard species: a test of the like-genotype and like-phenotype hypotheses. J Exp Biol 2023; 226:jeb245657. [PMID: 37309620 PMCID: PMC10357012 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.245657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Vertebrate sex is typically determined genetically, but in many ectotherms sex can be determined by genes (genetic sex determination, GSD), temperature (temperature-dependent sex determination, TSD), or interactions between genes and temperature during development. TSD may involve GSD systems with either male or female heterogamety (XX/XY or ZZ/ZW) where temperature overrides chromosomal sex determination to cause a mismatch between genetic sex and phenotypic sex (sex reversal). In these temperature-sensitive lineages, phylogenetic investigations point to recurrent evolutionary shifts between genotypic and temperature-dependent sex determination. These evolutionary transitions in sex determination can occur rapidly if selection favours the reversed sex over the concordant phenotypic sex. To investigate the consequences of sex reversal on offspring phenotypes, we measured two energy-driven traits (metabolism and growth) and 6 month survival in two species of reptile with different patterns of temperature-induced sex reversal. Male sex reversal occurs in Bassiana duperreyi when chromosomal females (female XX) develop male phenotypes (maleSR XX), while female sex reversal occurs in Pogona vitticeps when chromosomal males (male ZZ) develop female phenotypes (femaleSR ZZ). We show metabolism in maleSR XX was like that of male XY; that is, reflective of phenotypic sex and lower than genotypic sex. In contrast, for Pogona vitticeps, femaleSR ZZ metabolism was intermediate between male ZZ and female ZW metabolic rate. For both species, our data indicate that differences in metabolism become more apparent as individuals become larger. Our findings provide some evidence for an energetic advantage from sex reversal in both species but do not exclude energetic processes as a constraint on the distribution of sex reversal in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristoffer H. Wild
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, AUS
- Centre for Conservation Ecology and Genomics, Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT 2617, AUS
| | - John H. Roe
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina Pembroke, Pembroke, NC 28372-1510, USA
| | - Lisa Schwanz
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Essie Rodgers
- Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems, Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia
| | - Duminda S. B. Dissanayake
- Centre for Conservation Ecology and Genomics, Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT 2617, AUS
| | - Arthur Georges
- Centre for Conservation Ecology and Genomics, Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT 2617, AUS
| | - Stephen D. Sarre
- Centre for Conservation Ecology and Genomics, Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT 2617, AUS
| | - Daniel W. A. Noble
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, AUS
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Schacht R, Beissinger SR, Wedekind C, Jennions MD, Geffroy B, Liker A, Kappeler PM, Weissing FJ, Kramer KL, Hesketh T, Boissier J, Uggla C, Hollingshaus M, Székely T. Adult sex ratios: causes of variation and implications for animal and human societies. Commun Biol 2022; 5:1273. [PMID: 36402823 PMCID: PMC9675760 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-04223-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Converging lines of inquiry from across the social and biological sciences target the adult sex ratio (ASR; the proportion of males in the adult population) as a fundamental population-level determinant of behavior. The ASR, which indicates the relative number of potential mates to competitors in a population, frames the selective arena for competition, mate choice, and social interactions. Here we review a growing literature, focusing on methodological developments that sharpen knowledge of the demographic variables underlying ASR variation, experiments that enhance understanding of the consequences of ASR imbalance across societies, and phylogenetic analyses that provide novel insights into social evolution. We additionally highlight areas where research advances are expected to make accelerating contributions across the social sciences, evolutionary biology, and biodiversity conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan Schacht
- grid.255364.30000 0001 2191 0423Department of Anthropology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC USA
| | - Steven R. Beissinger
- grid.47840.3f0000 0001 2181 7878Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management and Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA
| | - Claus Wedekind
- grid.9851.50000 0001 2165 4204Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Michael D. Jennions
- grid.1001.00000 0001 2180 7477Ecology & Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Acton, Canberra 2601 Australia
| | - Benjamin Geffroy
- MARBEC Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - András Liker
- grid.7336.10000 0001 0203 5854ELKH-PE Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, University of Pannonia, 8210 Veszprém, Hungary ,grid.7336.10000 0001 0203 5854Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Center for Natural Sciences, University of Pannonia, 8210 Veszprém, Hungary
| | - Peter M. Kappeler
- grid.418215.b0000 0000 8502 7018Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute of Primate Biology, 37077 Göttingen, Germany ,grid.7450.60000 0001 2364 4210Department of Sociobiology/Anthropology, University of Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Franz J. Weissing
- grid.4830.f0000 0004 0407 1981Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Karen L. Kramer
- grid.223827.e0000 0001 2193 0096Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT USA
| | - Therese Hesketh
- grid.83440.3b0000000121901201Institute of Global Health, University College London, London, UK ,grid.13402.340000 0004 1759 700XCentre for Global Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, P.R. China
| | - Jérôme Boissier
- grid.4444.00000 0001 2112 9282IHPE Univ Perpignan Via Domitia, CNRS, Ifremer, Univ Montpellier, Perpignan, France
| | - Caroline Uggla
- grid.10548.380000 0004 1936 9377Stockholm University Demography Unit, Sociology Department, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mike Hollingshaus
- grid.223827.e0000 0001 2193 0096Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, David Eccles School of Business, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT USA
| | - Tamás Székely
- grid.7340.00000 0001 2162 1699Milner Centre for Evolution, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY UK ,grid.7122.60000 0001 1088 8582ELKH-DE Reproductive Strategies Research Group, Department of Zoology and Human Biology, University of Debrecen, H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary
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