Neuropeptide B is female-specifically expressed in the telencephalic and preoptic nuclei of the medaka brain

The decision of male medaka to mate or fight depends on two complementary androgen signaling pathways

Adult male animals typically court and attempt to mate with females, while attacking other males. Emerging evidence from mice indicates that neurons expressing the estrogen receptor ESR1 in behaviorally relevant brain regions play a central role in mediating these mutually exclusive behavioral responses to conspecifics. However, the findings in mice are unlikely to apply to vertebrates in general because, in many species other than rodents and some birds, androgens-rather than estrogens-have been implicated in male behaviors. Here, we report that male medaka (Oryzias latipes) lacking one of the two androgen receptor subtypes (Ara) are less aggressive toward other males and instead actively court them, while those lacking the other subtype (Arb) are less motivated to mate with females and conversely attack them. These findings indicate that, in male medaka, the Ara- and Arb-mediated androgen signaling pathways facilitate appropriate behavioral responses, while simultaneously suppressing inappropriate responses, to males and females, respectively. Notably, males lacking either receptor retain the ability to discriminate the sex of conspecifics, suggesting a defect in the subsequent decision-making process to mate or fight. We further show that Ara and Arb are expressed in intermingled but largely distinct populations of neurons, and stimulate the expression of different behaviorally relevant genes including galanin and vasotocin, respectively. Collectively, our results demonstrate that male teleosts make adaptive decisions to mate or fight as a result of the activation of one of two complementary androgen signaling pathways, depending on the sex of the conspecific that they encounter.

Involvement of the kisspeptin system in regulation of sexual behaviors in medaka

In mammals, kisspeptin (Kiss1) neurons are generally considered as a sex steroid-dependent key regulator of hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. In contrast, previous studies in non-mammalian species, especially in teleosts, propose that Kiss1 is not directly involved in the HPG axis regulation, which suggests some sex-steroid-dependent functions of kisspeptin(s) other than the HPG axis regulation in non-mammals. Here, we used knockout (KO) medaka of kisspeptin receptor-coding genes (gpr54-1 and gpr54-2) and examined possible roles of kisspeptin in the regulation of sexual behaviors. We found that the KO pairs of gpr54-1, but not gpr54-2, spawned fewer eggs and exhibited delayed spawning than wild type pairs. Detailed behavior analysis suggested that the KO females are responsible for the delayed spawning and that the KO males showed hyper-motivation for courtship. Taken together, the present finding suggests that one of the reproductive-state-dependent functions of the Kiss1 may be the control of successful sexual behaviors.

Male-specific vasotocin expression in the medaka tuberal hypothalamus: Androgen dependence and probable role in aggression

Terrestrial vertebrates have a population of androgen-dependent vasotocin (VT)-expressing neurons in the extended amygdala that are more abundant in males and mediate male-typical social behaviors, including aggression. Teleosts lack these neurons but instead have novel male-specific VT-expressing neurons in the tuberal hypothalamus. Here we found in medaka that vt expression in these neurons is dependent on post-pubertal gonadal androgens and that androgens can act on these neurons to directly stimulate vt transcription via the androgen receptor subtype Ara. Furthermore, administration of exogenous VT induced aggression in females and alterations in the androgen milieu led to correlated changes in the levels of tuberal hypothalamic vt expression and aggression in both sexes. However, genetic ablation of vt failed to prevent androgen-induced aggression in females. Collectively, our results demonstrate a marked androgen dependence of male-specific vt expression in the teleost tuberal hypothalamus, although its relevance to male-typical aggression needs to be further validated.

Estrogen-dependent expression and function of secretogranin 2a in female-specific peptidergic neurons

Secretogranin 2 (Scg2) is a member of the secretogranin/chromogranin family of proteins that is involved in neuropeptide and hormone packaging to secretory granules and serves as a precursor for several secreted pleiotropic peptides. A recent study in zebrafish showed that the teleost Scg2 orthologs, scg2a and scg2b, play an important role in mating behavior, but its modes of action and regulatory mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we identify scg2a in another teleost species, medaka, by transcriptomic analysis as a gene that is expressed in an ovarian secretion-dependent manner in a group of neurons relevant to female sexual receptivity, termed FeSP neurons. Investigation of scg2a expression in the FeSP neurons of estrogen receptor (Esr)-deficient medaka revealed that it is dependent on estrogen signaling through Esr2b, the major determinant of female-typical mating behavior. Generation and characterization of scg2a-deficient medaka showed no overt changes in secretory granule packaging in FeSP neurons. This, along with the observation that Scg2a and neuropeptide B, a major neuropeptide produced by FeSP neurons, colocalize in a majority of secretory granules, suggests that Scg2a mainly serves as a precursor for secreted peptides that act in conjunction with neuropeptide B. Further, scg2a showed sexually biased expression in several brain nuclei implicated in mating behavior. However, we found no significant impact of scg2a deficiency on the performance of mating behavior in either sex. Collectively, our results indicate that, although perhaps not essential for mating behavior, scg2a acts in an estrogen/Esr2b signaling-dependent manner in neurons that are relevant to female sexual receptivity.

Neuropeptide B (NPB) and NPB receptor 2b (NPBWR2b) in the ricefield eel Monopterus albus: expression and potential involvement in the regulation of gonadotropins

The neuropeptide B/W signaling system is composed of neuropeptide B (NPB), neuropeptide W (NPW), and two cognate receptors, NPBWR1 and NPBWR2, which are involved in diverse physiological processes, including the central regulation of neuroendocrine axes in vertebrates. The components of this signaling system are not well conserved during vertebrate evolution, implicating its functional diversity. The present study characterized the ricefield eel neuropeptide B/W system, generated a specific antiserum against the neuropeptide B/W receptor, and examined the potential roles of the system in the regulation of adenohypophysial functions. The ricefield eel genome contains npba, npbb, and npbwr2b but lacks the npw, npbwr1, and npbwr2a genes. The loss of npw and npbwr1 probably occurred at the base of ray-finned fish radiation and that of npbwr2a species specifically in ray-finned fish. Npba and npbb genes are produced through whole-genome duplication (WGD) in ray-finned fish. The ricefield eel npba was expressed in the brain and some peripheral tissues, while npbb was predominantly expressed in the brain. The ricefield eel npbwr2b was also expressed in the brain and in some peripheral tissues, such as the pituitary, gonad, heart, and eye. Immunoreactive Npbwr2b was shown to be localized to Lh and Fsh cells but not to Gh or Prl cells in the pituitary of ricefield eels. Npba upregulated the expression of fshb and cga but not lhb mRNA in pituitary fragments of ricefield eels cultured in vitro. The results of the present study suggest that the NPB system of ricefield eels may be involved in the neuroendocrine regulation of reproduction.

The Effects of Neuropeptide B on Proliferation and Differentiation of Porcine White Preadipocytes into Mature Adipocytes

Neuropeptide B (NPB) affects energy homeostasis and metabolism by binding and activating NPBWR1 and NPBWR2 in humans and pigs. Recently, we reported that NPB promotes the adipogenesis of rat white and brown preadipocytes as well as 3T3-L1 cells. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of NPB on the proliferation and differentiation of white porcine preadipocytes into mature adipocytes. We identified the presence of NPB, NPBWR1, and NPBWR2 on the mRNA and protein levels in porcine white preadipocytes. During the differentiation process, NPB increased the mRNA expression of PPARγ, C/EBPβ, C/EBPα, PPARγ, and C/EBPβ protein production in porcine preadipocytes. Furthermore, NPB stimulated lipid accumulation in porcine preadipocytes. Moreover, NPB promoted the phosphorylation of the p38 kinase in porcine preadipocytes, but failed to induce ERK1/2 phosphorylation. NPB failed to stimulate the expression of C/EBPβ in the presence of the p38 inhibitor. Taken together, we report that NPB promotes the differentiation of porcine preadipocytes via a p38-dependent mechanism.

Neural Control of Sexual Behavior in Fish

Many vertebrate species show breeding periods and exhibit series of characteristic species-specific sexual behaviors only during the breeding period. Here, secretion of gonadal sex hormones from the mature gonads has been considered to facilitate sexual behaviors. Thus, the sexual behavior has long been considered to be regulated by neural and hormonal mechanisms. In this review, we discuss recent progress in the study of neural control mechanisms of sexual behavior with a focus on studies using fish, which have often been the favorite animals used by many researchers who study instinctive animal behaviors. We first discuss control mechanisms of sexual behaviors by sex steroids in relation to the anatomical studies of sex steroid-concentrating neurons in various vertebrate brains, which are abundantly distributed in evolutionarily conserved areas such as preoptic area (POA) and anterior hypothalamus. We then focus on another brain area called the ventral telencephalic area, which has also been suggested to contain sex steroid-concentrating neurons and has been implicated in the control of sexual behaviors, especially in teleosts. We also discuss control of sex-specific behaviors and sexual preference influenced by estrogenic signals or by olfactory/pheromonal signals. Finally, we briefly summarize research on the modulatory control of motivation for sexual behaviors by a group of peptidergic neurons called terminal nerve gonadotropin-releasing hormone (TN-GnRH) neurons, which are known to be especially developed in fishes among various vertebrate species.

Evidence for progesterone acting as an inhibitor of stress axis via stimulating pituitary neuropeptide B/W receptor 2 (NPBWR2) expression in chickens

In vertebrates, the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal gland (HPA) axis is the main endocrine pathway regulating the stress response, thus also called the stress axis. It has been well-accepted that the stress axis is tightly controlled by both hypothalamic stimulators and inhibitors [e.g. corticotropin (ACTH)-releasing inhibitory factor (CRIF)]. However, the identity of authentic CRIF remains unclear for decades. Recently, neuropeptide W (NPW) was proved to be the physiological CRIF in chickens. Together with its functional receptor (NPBWR2), they play critical roles in attenuating the activity of the chicken stress axis. Because increasing pieces of evidence suggested that sex steroids could regulate the stress axis, using chicken as a model, we investigated whether the newly identified CRIF and its receptor are under the control of sex steroids in this study. Our results showed that: (1) expression of NPW-NPBWR2 in the hypothalamus-pituitary axis was sexually dimorphic and developmental stage-dependent; (2) progesterone (P₄), rather than 17β-estradiol (E₂) and dihydrotestosterone (DHT), could dose- and time-dependently upregulate NPBWR2 expression, which was accompanied with the decrease of ACTH synthesis and secretion, in cultured pituitary cells; (3) intraperitoneal injection of P₄ could elevate the mRNA level of pituitary NPBWR2; (4) P₄-stimulated NPBWR2 expression was relevant to both nPR-mediated genomic action and mPRs-triggered nongenomic route associated with MEK/ERK, PI3K/AKT cascade, and calcium influx. To our knowledge, our results discover a novel route of sex steroids in modulating the stress axis of chickens, which lays a foundation to reveal the complicated interaction network between reproduction and stress axes in chickens.

Prostaglandin E2 receptor Ptger4b regulates female-specific peptidergic neurons and female sexual receptivity in medaka

In vertebrates, female receptivity to male courtship is highly dependent on ovarian secretion of estrogens and prostaglandins. We recently identified female-specific neurons in the medaka (Oryzias latipes) preoptic area that express Npba, a neuropeptide mediating female sexual receptivity, in response to ovarian estrogens. Here we show by transcriptomic analysis that these neurons express a multitude of neuropeptides, in addition to Npba, in an ovarian-dependent manner, and we thus termed them female-specific, sex steroid-responsive peptidergic (FeSP) neurons. Our results further revealed that FeSP neurons express a prostaglandin E₂ receptor gene, ptger4b, in an ovarian estrogen-dependent manner. Behavioral and physiological examination of ptger4b-deficient female medaka found that they exhibit increased sexual receptivity while retaining normal ovarian function and that their FeSP neurons have reduced firing activity and impaired neuropeptide release. Collectively, this work provides evidence that prostaglandin E₂/Ptger4b signaling mediates the estrogenic regulation of FeSP neuron activity and female sexual receptivity.

Prostaglandin E₂ signaling mediates the estrogenic regulation of peptidergic neuronal activity and female receptivity via the ptger4b gene pathway in Japanese rice fish.

The Role of Neuropeptide B and Its Receptors in Controlling Appetite, Metabolism, and Energy Homeostasis

Neuropeptide B (NPB) is a peptide hormone that was initially described in 2002. In humans, the biological effects of NPB depend on the activation of two G protein-coupled receptors, NPBWR1 (GPR7) and NPBWR2 (GPR8), and, in rodents, NPBWR1. NPB and its receptors are expressed in the central nervous system (CNS) and in peripheral tissues. NPB is also present in the circulation. In the CNS, NPB modulates appetite, reproduction, pain, anxiety, and emotions. In the peripheral tissues, NPB controls secretion of adrenal hormones, pancreatic beta cells, and various functions of adipose tissue. Experimental downregulation of either NPB or NPBWR1 leads to adiposity. Here, we review the literature with regard to NPB-dependent control of metabolism and energy homeostasis.

Estrogen receptor 2b is the major determinant of sex-typical mating behavior and sexual preference in medaka

Male and female animals typically display innate sex-specific mating behaviors, which, in vertebrates, are highly dependent on sex steroid signaling. While estradiol-17β (E2) signaling through estrogen receptor 2 (ESR2) serves to defeminize male mating behavior in rodents, the available evidence suggests that E2 signaling is not required in teleosts for either male or female mating behavior. Here, we report that female medaka deficient for Esr2b, a teleost ortholog of ESR2, are not receptive to males but rather court females, despite retaining normal ovarian function with an unaltered sex steroid milieu. Thus, contrary to both prevailing views in rodents and teleosts, E2/Esr2b signaling in the brain plays a decisive role in feminization and demasculinization of female mating behavior and sexual preference in medaka. Further behavioral testing showed that mutual antagonism between E2/Esr2b signaling and androgen receptor-mediated androgen signaling in adulthood induces and actively maintains sex-typical mating behaviors and preference. Our results also revealed that the female-biased sexual dimorphism in esr2b expression in the telencephalic and preoptic nuclei implicated in mating behavior can be reversed between males and females by altering the sex steroid milieu in adulthood, likely via mechanisms involving direct E2-induced transcriptional activation. In addition, Npba, a neuropeptide mediating female sexual receptivity, was found to act downstream of E2/Esr2b signaling in these brain nuclei. Collectively, these functional and regulatory mechanisms of E2/Esr2b signaling presumably underpin the neural mechanism for induction, maintenance, and reversal of sex-typical mating behaviors and sexual preference in teleosts, at least in medaka.

Examination of methods for manipulating serum 17β-Estradiol (E2) levels by analysis of blood E2 concentration in medaka (Oryzias latipes)

It is widely known that reproduction in vertebrates is regulated by the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. Although the mechanism of the HPG axis has been well documented in mammals, it cannot be always applied to that in non-mammalian species, which is a great disadvantage in understanding reproduction of vertebrates in general. Recently, transgenic and genome editing tools have rapidly been developed in small teleosts, and thus these species are expected to be useful for the understanding of general mechanism of reproduction in vertebrates. One of the major sex steroid hormones in female vertebrates 17β-Estradiol (E2) plays crucial roles in the formation of sexual dimorphism and the HPG axis regulation. In spite of the importance of E2 in reproductive regulation, only a few studies have analyzed blood E2 levels in small teleosts that are easily amenable to genetic manipulation. In the present study, we analyzed blood E2 concentration in medaka and demonstrated that female medaka show diurnal changes in blood E2 concentration. We then examined the best method for manipulating the circulating E2. First, we found that ovariectomy (OVX) drastically removes endogenous E2 in a day in female medaka. We examined different methods for E2 administration and revealed that feeding administration of E2-containing food is the most convenient and physiological method for mimicking the diurnal E2 changes of female medaka. On the other hand, the medaka exposed to E2 containing water showed high blood E2 concentrations, which exceeds those of environmental water, suggesting that E2 may cause bioconcentration.

A conceptual framework for understanding sexual differentiation of the teleost brain

Vertebrate brains are sexually differentiated, giving rise to differences in various physiological and behavioral phenotypes between the sexes. In developing mammals and birds, the neural substrate underlying sex-dependent physiology and behavior undergoes an irreversible process of sexual differentiation due to the effects of perinatal gonadal steroids and sex chromosome complement. The differentiated neural substrate is then activated in the adult by the sex-specific steroid milieu to facilitate the expression of sex-typical phenotypes. However, this well-established concept does not hold for teleost fish, whose sexual phenotypes (behavioral or otherwise) are highly labile throughout life and can be reversed even in adulthood. Indeed, the available evidence suggests that, in teleosts, neither gonadal steroids early in development nor the sex chromosome complement contribute much to brain sexual differentiation; instead, steroids in adulthood serve to both differentiate the neural substrate and activate it to elicit sex-typical phenotypes in a transient and reversible manner. Evidence further suggests that marked sexual dimorphisms and adult steroid-dependent lability in the neural expression of sex steroid receptors constitute the primary molecular basis for sexual differentiation and lability of the teleost brain. The consequent sexually dimorphic but reversible steroid sensitivity in response to the adult steroid milieu may enable the teleost brain to maintain lifelong sexual lability and to undergo phenotypic sex reversal.

Neuropeptide B mediates female sexual receptivity in medaka fish, acting in a female-specific but reversible manner

Male and female animals display innate sex-specific mating behaviors. In teleost fish, altering the adult sex steroid milieu can effectively reverse sex-typical mating behaviors, suggesting remarkable sexual lability of their brains as adults. In the teleost medaka, neuropeptide B (NPB) is expressed female-specifically in the brain nuclei implicated in mating behavior. Here, we demonstrate that NPB is a direct mediator of estrogen action on female mating behavior, acting in a female-specific but reversible manner. Analysis of regulatory mechanisms revealed that the female-specific expression of NPB is dependent on direct transcriptional activation by estrogen via an estrogen-responsive element and is reversed in response to changes in the adult sex steroid milieu. Behavioral studies of NPB knockouts revealed that female-specific NBP mediates female receptivity to male courtship. The female-specific NPB signaling identified herein is presumably a critical element of the neural circuitry underlying sexual dimorphism and lability of mating behaviors in teleosts.

Sexually Dimorphic Neuropeptide B Neurons in Medaka Exhibit Activated Cellular Phenotypes Dependent on Estrogen

Brain and behavior of teleosts are highly sexually plastic throughout life, yet the underlying neural mechanisms are largely unknown. On examining brain morphology in the teleost medaka (Oryzias latipes), we identified distinctively large neurons in the magnocellular preoptic nucleus that occurred much more abundantly in females than in males. Examination of sex-reversed medaka showed that the sexually dimorphic abundance of these neurons is dependent on gonadal phenotype, but independent of sex chromosome complement. Most of these neurons in females, but none in males, produced neuropeptide B (Npb), whose expression is known to be estrogen-dependent and associated with female sexual receptivity. In phenotypic analysis, the female-specific Npb neurons had a large euchromatic nucleus with an abundant cytoplasm containing plentiful rough endoplasmic reticulum, exhibited increased overall transcriptional activity, and typically displayed a spontaneous regular firing pattern. These phenotypes, which are probably indicative of cellular activation, were attenuated by ovariectomy and restored by estrogen replacement. Furthermore, the population of Npb-expressing neurons emerged in adult males treated with estrogen, not through frequently occurring neurogenesis in the adult teleost brain, but through the activation of preexisting, quiescent male counterpart neurons. Collectively, our results demonstrate that the morphological, transcriptional, and electrophysiological phenotypes of sexually dimorphic preoptic Npb neurons are highly dependent on estrogen and can be switched between female and male patterns. These properties of the preoptic Npb neurons presumably underpin the neural mechanism for sexual differentiation and plasticity of brain and behavior in teleosts.

Cloning and mRNA expression of NPB and its effect on hormone secretion of the reproductive cells in the pig

Neuropeptide B (NPB) is an endogenous ligand for the orphan G protein-coupled receptors NPBWR1 (GPR7) and NPBWR2 (GPR8). Some reports have investigated the role of NPB in the regulation of feeding, energy metabolism and hormone secretion in many species. However, few papers reported the physiological function of NPB in the pig. In this study, we cloned and sequenced the NPB mRNA from a pig, which was found to consist of 123 bases. NPB mRNA expression was detected in central and peripheral tissues by the quantitative fluorescence method. The results showed that NPB mRNA expression was higher in hippocampus, cerebellum, spinal cord, thymus, tonsil, duodenum, cecum, colon, ovary and testis. The distribution of NPB suggested that it may be involved in the regulation of reproductive functions in the pig. Subsequently, the expression and distribution of NPBWR1 and NPBWR2 were found in Leydig cells and ovarian granular cells. We then investigated the direct effect of NPB on pig reproductive cells in vitro. The results showed that different concentrations of NPB (10^-12, 10^-10, 10^-8 and 10^-6 M) promoted the secretion of testosterone in Leydig cells in concentration-dependent manner. Different doses of NPB could promote the secretion of progesterone in ovarian granulosa cells in dose-dependent manner. Low concentrations of NPB (10^-8 and 10^-10 M) promoted estradiol secretion, but high concentrations of NPB (10^-6 M) inhibited its secretion. All the results suggested that the NPB/NPBWR1 or NPBWR2 system may play a role in modulating the reproductive activity in the pig.

Steroid Transport, Local Synthesis, and Signaling within the Brain: Roles in Neurogenesis, Neuroprotection, and Sexual Behaviors

Sex steroid hormones are synthesized from cholesterol and exert pleiotropic effects notably in the central nervous system. Pioneering studies from Baulieu and colleagues have suggested that steroids are also locally-synthesized in the brain. Such steroids, called neurosteroids, can rapidly modulate neuronal excitability and functions, brain plasticity, and behavior. Accumulating data obtained on a wide variety of species demonstrate that neurosteroidogenesis is an evolutionary conserved feature across fish, birds, and mammals. In this review, we will first document neurosteroidogenesis and steroid signaling for estrogens, progestagens, and androgens in the brain of teleost fish, birds, and mammals. We will next consider the effects of sex steroids in homeostatic and regenerative neurogenesis, in neuroprotection, and in sexual behaviors. In a last part, we will discuss the transport of steroids and lipoproteins from the periphery within the brain (and vice-versa) and document their effects on the blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability and on neuroprotection. We will emphasize the potential interaction between lipoproteins and sex steroids, addressing the beneficial effects of steroids and lipoproteins, particularly HDL-cholesterol, against the breakdown of the BBB reported to occur during brain ischemic stroke. We will consequently highlight the potential anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and neuroprotective properties of sex steroid and lipoproteins, these latest improving cholesterol and steroid ester transport within the brain after insults.

Evolutionally Conserved Function of Kisspeptin Neuronal System Is Nonreproductive Regulation as Revealed by Nonmammalian Study

The kisspeptin neuronal system, which consists of a neuropeptide kisspeptin and its receptor Gpr54, is considered in mammals a key factor of reproductive regulation, the so-called hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. However, in nonmammalian vertebrates, especially in teleosts, existence of kisspeptin regulation on the HPG axis is still controversial. In this study, we applied multidisciplinary techniques to a teleost fish, medaka, and examined possible kisspeptin regulation on the HPG axis. First, we generated knockout medaka for kisspeptin-related genes and found that they show normal fertility, gonadal maturation, and expression of gonadotropins. Moreover, the firing activity of GnRH1 neurons recorded by the patch clamp technique was not altered by kisspeptin application. Furthermore, in goldfish, in vivo kisspeptin administration did not show any positive effect on HPG axis regulation. However, as kisspeptin genes are completely conserved among vertebrates except birds, we surmised that kisspeptin should have some important nonreproductive functions in vertebrates. Therefore, to discover novel functions of kisspeptin, we generated a gpr54-1:enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) transgenic medaka, whose gpr54-1-expressing cells are specifically labeled by EGFP. Analysis of neuronal projection of gpr54-1:EGFP-expressing neurons showed that these neurons in the ventrolateral preoptic area project to the pituitary and are probably involved in endocrine regulation other than gonadotropin release. Furthermore, combination of deep sequencing, histological, and electrophysiological analyses revealed various novel neural systems that are under control of kisspeptin neurons-that is, those expressing neuropeptide Yb, cholecystokinin, isotocin, vasotocin, and neuropeptide B. Thus, our new strategy to genetically label receptor-expressing neurons gives insights into various kisspeptin-dependent neuronal systems that may be conserved in vertebrates.

Expression of isotocin is male-specifically up-regulated by gonadal androgen in the medaka brain

Oxytocin, a mammalian neuropeptide primarily synthesised in the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei of the hypothalamus, mediates a variety of physiological and behavioural processes, ranging from parturition and lactation to affiliation and prosociality. Multiple studies in rodents have shown that the expression of the oxytocin gene (Oxt) is stimulated by oestrogen, whereas androgen has no apparent effect. However, this finding is not consistent across all studies, and no study has examined sex steroid regulation of Oxt or its orthologues in other animals. In the present study, we show that, in the teleost fish, medaka (Oryzias latipes), the expression of the isotocin gene (it), the teleost orthologue of Oxt, in the parvocellular preoptic nuclei (homologous to the mammalian supraoptic nucleus) is male-specifically up-regulated by gonadal androgen, whereas it expression in the magnocellular/gigantocellular preoptic nuclei (homologous to the mammalian paraventricular nucleus) is independent of sex steroids in both sexes. None of the it-expressing neurones appear to co-express androgen receptors, suggesting that the effect of androgen on it expression is indirect. We found that the expression of a kisspeptin gene, kiss2, in the male brain is dependent on gonadal androgen, raising the possibility that the androgen-dependent expression of it may be mediated by kiss2 neurones. Our data also show that the isotocin peptide synthesised in response to androgen is axonally transported to the posterior pituitary to act peripherally. Given that levels of it expression are higher in females than in males, androgen may serve to compensate for the female-biased it expression to ensure a role for isotocin that is equally important for both sexes. These results are unexpectedly quite different from those reported in rodents, indicating that the regulatory role of sex steroids in Oxt/it expression has diverged during evolution, possibly with accompanying changes in the role of oxytocin/isotocin.

Characterization of Neuropeptide B (NPB), Neuropeptide W (NPW), and Their Receptors in Chickens: Evidence for NPW Being a Novel Inhibitor of Pituitary GH and Prolactin Secretion

The 2 structurally and functionally related peptides, neuropeptide B (NPB) and neuropeptide W (NPW), together with their receptor(s) (NPBWR1/NPBWR2) constitute the NPB/NPW system, which acts mainly on the central nervous system to regulate many physiological processes in mammals. However, little is known about this NPB/NPW system in nonmammalian vertebrates. In this study, the functionality and expression of this NPB/NPW system and its actions on the pituitary were investigated in chickens. The results showed that: 1) chicken NPB/NPW system comprises an NPB peptide of 28 amino acids (cNPB28), an NPW peptide of 23 or 30 amino acids (cNPW23/cNPW30), and their 2 receptors (cNPBWR1 and cNPBWR2), which are highly homologous to their human counterparts. 2) Using a pGL3-CRE-luciferase reporter system, we demonstrated that cNPBWR2 expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells can be potently activated by cNPW23 (not cNPB28), and its activation inhibits the intracellular cAMP signaling pathway, whereas cNPBWR1 shows no response to peptide treatment, suggesting a crucial role of cNPBWR2 in mediating cNPW/cNPB actions. 3) Quantitative real-time PCR revealed that cNPW and cNPB are widely expressed in chicken tissues, including hypothalamus, whereas cNPBWR1 and cNPBWR2 are mainly expressed in brain or pituitary. 4) In accordance with abundant cNPBWR2 expression in pituitary, cNPW23 could dose dependently inhibit GH and prolactin secretion induced by GHRH and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, respectively, in cultured chick pituitary cells, as monitored by Western blotting. Collectively, our data reveal a functional NPB/NPW system in birds and offer the first proof that NPW can act directly on pituitary to inhibit GH/prolactin secretion in vertebrates.

Gene Expression Profiling Reveals Functional Specialization along the Intestinal Tract of a Carnivorous Teleostean Fish (Dicentrarchus labrax)

High-quality sequencing reads from the intestine of European sea bass were assembled, annotated by similarity against protein reference databases and combined with nucleotide sequences from public and private databases. After redundancy filtering, 24,906 non-redundant annotated sequences encoding 15,367 different gene descriptions were obtained. These annotated sequences were used to design a custom, high-density oligo-microarray (8 × 15 K) for the transcriptomic profiling of anterior (AI), middle (MI), and posterior (PI) intestinal segments. Similar molecular signatures were found for AI and MI segments, which were combined in a single group (AI-MI) whereas the PI outstood separately, with more than 1900 differentially expressed genes with a fold-change cutoff of 2. Functional analysis revealed that molecular and cellular functions related to feed digestion and nutrient absorption and transport were over-represented in AI-MI segments. By contrast, the initiation and establishment of immune defense mechanisms became especially relevant in PI, although the microarray expression profiling validated by qPCR indicated that these functional changes are gradual from anterior to posterior intestinal segments. This functional divergence occurred in association with spatial transcriptional changes in nutrient transporters and the mucosal chemosensing system via G protein-coupled receptors. These findings contribute to identify key indicators of gut functions and to compare different fish feeding strategies and immune defense mechanisms acquired along the evolution of teleosts.

Two UV-Sensitive Photoreceptor Proteins, Opn5m and Opn5m2 in Ray-Finned Fish with Distinct Molecular Properties and Broad Distribution in the Retina and Brain

Opn5 is a group within the opsin family of proteins that is responsible for visual and non-visual photoreception in animals. It consists of several subgroups, including Opn5m, the only subgroup containing members found in most vertebrates, including mammals. In addition, recent genomic information has revealed that some ray-finned fishes carry paralogous genes of Opn5m while other fishes have no such genes. Here, we report the molecular properties of the opsin now called Opn5m2 and its distributions in both the retina and brain. Like Opn5m, Opn5m2 exhibits UV light-sensitivity when binding to 11-cis-retinal and forms a stable active state that couples with Gi subtype of G protein. However, Opn5m2 does not bind all-trans-retinal and exhibits exclusive binding to 11-cis-retinal, whereas many bistable opsins, including fish Opn5m, can bind directly to all-trans-retinal as well as 11-cis-retinal. Because medaka fish has lost the Opn5m2 gene from its genome, we compared the tissue distribution patterns of Opn5m in medaka fish, zebrafish, and spotted gar, in addition to the distribution patterns of Opn5m2 in zebrafish and spotted gar. Opn5m expression levels showed a gradient along the dorsal–ventral axis of the retina, and preferential expression was observed in the ventral retina in the three fishes. The levels of Opn5m2 showed a similar gradient with preferential expression observed in the dorsal retina. Opn5m expression was relatively abundant in the inner region of the inner nuclear layer, while Opn5m2 was expressed in the outer edge of the inner nuclear layer. Additionally, we could detect Opn5m expression in several brain regions, including the hypothalamus, of these fish species. Opn5m2 expression could not be detected in zebrafish brain, but was clearly observed in limited brain regions of spotted gar. These results suggest that ray-finned fishes can generally utilize UV light information for non-image-forming photoreception in a wide range of cells in the retina and brain.