Santiago Elías Charif , Pablo Ignacio Felipe Inserra , Federico Martín Villarreal , Alejandro Raúl Schmidt , Santiago Andrés Cortasa , Sofía Proietto , María Clara Corso , Micaela Inés Llanos Dumont , Noelia Paula Di Giorgio , Julia Halperin , Alfredo Daniel Vitullo , Verónica Berta Dorfman
{"title":"Light/darkness modulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis in the plains vizcacha, Lagostomus maximus, a seasonal breeding species","authors":"Santiago Elías Charif , Pablo Ignacio Felipe Inserra , Federico Martín Villarreal , Alejandro Raúl Schmidt , Santiago Andrés Cortasa , Sofía Proietto , María Clara Corso , Micaela Inés Llanos Dumont , Noelia Paula Di Giorgio , Julia Halperin , Alfredo Daniel Vitullo , Verónica Berta Dorfman","doi":"10.1016/j.ygcen.2025.114714","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ygcen.2025.114714","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Photoperiod is the main environmental signal that affects animal behavior and reproduction. Light stimulus is traduced by a neural pathway that modulates pineal gland melatonin release, which synchronizes physiologic functions with day duration, highly influencing seasonal reproduction. The plains vizcacha <em>(Lagostomus maximus)</em> is a Hystricomorph rodent with seasonal reproduction that inhabits the Neotropic in South America. The aim of this work was to elucidate the effect of light/darkness exposition on the reproductive hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) axis in the female plains vizcacha. During 15 days, animals were subjected to different light/darkness regimens (Control group, CTL: 12:12 h dark:light; Darkness group, DARK: continuous darkness; Light group, LIGHT: continuous light). The melatoninergic system and reproductive hormones were evaluated. Plasma melatonin levels significantly decreased in DARK whereas both melatonin receptors (MT<sub>1</sub> and MT<sub>2</sub>) expression significantly increased in the hypothalamus and decreased in the pituitary gland, and only MT<sub>1</sub> expression increased in the ovaries. Continuous light did not induce significant variations in melatonin levels related to CTL, however, MTs expression changed at pituitary and ovary levels. Strikingly, both light/darkness regimens increased reproductive hormone expression. While darkness induced hypothalamic gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) expression and estradiol (E<sub>2</sub>) secretion, light increased LH and progesterone (P<sub>4</sub>) secretion. In conclusion, light availability may impact the reproductive axis of plains vizcacha inducing hormonal changes, with an organ-specific response, and sustaining HPO axis activity, thus ensuring reproduction. Environmental light and darkness, their availability and exposure length, could synchronize the reproductive axis in seasonal breeding species like the plains vizcacha.</div><div>New & Noteworthy: Hypothalamic, pituitary, and ovarian variations were induced by continuous light or darkness in the plains vizcacha. Plasma melatonin decreased by continuous darkness-inducing hypothalamic, pituitary, and ovarian melatonin receptors variations. Fifteen days of continuous darkness induced GnRH, LH, and estradiol secretion, while 15 days of continuous light induced LH and P<sub>4</sub> secretion. Environmental light/darkness would synchronize the reproductive axis in seasonal breeding species like the plains vizcacha.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12582,"journal":{"name":"General and comparative endocrinology","volume":"366 ","pages":"Article 114714"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143704846","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Qianqian Li, Meiwei Zhang, Kun Liu, Mengqiang Yuan, Weizhong Wang, Dong Xu, Deyang Tian, Xiaotong Wang
{"title":"Identification and characterization of neuropeptides in sea urchin Strongylocentrotus intermedius.","authors":"Qianqian Li, Meiwei Zhang, Kun Liu, Mengqiang Yuan, Weizhong Wang, Dong Xu, Deyang Tian, Xiaotong Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.ygcen.2025.114716","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ygcen.2025.114716","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Neuropeptides play essential roles in regulation of feeding, reproduction and behavior in echinoderms. But the neuropeptide function has not been explored extensively in sea urchins. The tube feet contain part of the peripheral nervous system in echinoids, comprising both neurosensory and neuromuscular components. In this study, we sequenced transcriptome of Strongylocentrotus intermedius tube feet and identified 26 neuropeptide precursor transcripts, including ANpeptide, bursicons, calcitonin, corazonin, gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), glycoprotein-type hormones (GPA & GPB), insulin-related peptides (dilp7 & octinsulin), luqin, NGFFFamide, prolactin-releasing peptide/short neuropeptide F (PrRP/sNPF), orexin, pedal peptides, SALMFamides, somatostatin/allatostatin-C (SS1 & SS2), thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), and vasopressin-oxytocin. In addition, we further compared the expression levels of neuropeptide precursors between red and white tube feet, and found 3 neuropeptides (bursicon β, octinsulin and luqin) had higher expression in red tube feet, potentially related to pigmentation or other pigment-related functions. We also observed ultrastructure of tube feet by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and found large amount of muscle fibers, nerve plexus and vesicles in tube feet. Neuropeptides might play roles in these structures of tube feet. Our study represents the first identification of neuropeptides in tube feet of S. intermedius, and will contribute to a complete understanding on the roles of various neuropeptides in sea urchin echinoderms.</p>","PeriodicalId":12582,"journal":{"name":"General and comparative endocrinology","volume":" ","pages":"114716"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143700236","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sean C. Lema, Kseniya A. Krayeva, Zoey A. Dale, Teresa E. Guerre
{"title":"Temperature modulates 17β-estradiol regulation of oogenesis protein expression in the liver of the eurythermal pupfish Cyprinodon nevadensis","authors":"Sean C. Lema, Kseniya A. Krayeva, Zoey A. Dale, Teresa E. Guerre","doi":"10.1016/j.ygcen.2025.114707","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ygcen.2025.114707","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Female fish experiencing atypically high or prolonged elevations in temperature during oogenesis can suffer impaired oocyte development with fewer or smaller eggs, eggs with reduced yolk content or thinner envelopes, and lower egg viability. These changes in oocyte quality and quantity are in part caused by diminished liver synthesis of egg yolk (vitellogenin, Vtg) and egg envelope (choriogenin) proteins at anomalously high temperatures. Those declines in liver Vtg and choriogenin production are commonly paralleled by reduced blood concentrations of 17β-estradiol (E<sub>2</sub>). However, it is unclear whether declines in liver vitellogenin and choriogenin production at elevated temperatures result solely from lower circulating E<sub>2</sub> or if other aspects of E<sub>2</sub> signaling are also altered to diminish liver synthesis of oogenesis proteins. In this study, adult female Amargosa River pupfish (<em>Cyprinodon nevadensis amargosae</em>), a species with asynchronous follicular development, were maintained at 20 °C, 28 °C, or 36 °C and then administered E<sub>2</sub> or vehicle solution. Ovarian gonadosomatic index (GSI) values and plasma E<sub>2</sub> were lower in females at 36 °C compared to those at cooler temperatures. Females at 36 °C also had reduced plasma Vtg protein, lower liver abundances for mRNAs encoding vitellogenin genes (<em>vtgAa</em>, <em>vtgAb</em>, <em>vtgc</em>), choriogenin genes (<em>cgh, cghm, cgl</em>), and estrogen receptor α (<em>esr1</em>). Supplemental E<sub>2</sub> increased plasma E<sub>2</sub> in females at all temperatures, but only upregulated liver vitellogenin and choriogenin mRNAs at 36 °C, despite E<sub>2</sub> upregulation of hepatic <em>esr1</em> receptor transcripts at all temperatures. Females at 36 °C also exhibited higher liver mRNA abundances for sex hormone-binding globulin (<em>shbg</em>) and cytochrome P450 family 1 subfamily A member 1 (<em>cyp1a1</em>), an estrogen-metabolizing monooxygenase enzyme that converts E<sub>2</sub> to 2-hydroxyestradiol. Together, these findings indicate elevated temperatures diminish E<sub>2</sub> stimulation of liver Vtg and choriogenin expression in pupfish via effects on several aspects of E<sub>2</sub> signaling including circulating E<sub>2</sub> concentrations and liver <em>esr1</em> expression as well as <em>shbg</em> and <em>cyp1a1</em> expression, which may result in changes to free:bound E<sub>2</sub> and the rate of hepatic E<sub>2</sub> inactivation. These results also demonstrate that E<sub>2</sub> replacement can help compensate for high temperature-induced declines in hepatic oogenesis gene expression in female pupfish.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12582,"journal":{"name":"General and comparative endocrinology","volume":"365 ","pages":"Article 114707"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143643589","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Amy L. Kirkham , Julie P. Avery , Roxanne S. Beltran , Jennifer M. Burns
{"title":"Post-lactation mass recovery and metabolic hormone dynamics in adult female Weddell seals","authors":"Amy L. Kirkham , Julie P. Avery , Roxanne S. Beltran , Jennifer M. Burns","doi":"10.1016/j.ygcen.2025.114706","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ygcen.2025.114706","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Weddell seal (<em>Leptonychotes weddellii</em>) females lose substantial body mass across an intensive, nutritionally restricted lactation period and then must rapidly recover mass during the short Antarctic summer. In this study, we examined endocrine dynamics associated with mass loss across lactation and subsequent realimentation in Weddell seals, comparing patterns between seals that recently gave birth and demographically similar non-reproductive females (skip females) in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. Postpartum seals near weaning (∼35 days postpartum, n = 64) and skip females (n = 32) were handled during early austral summer (November/December) and rehandled in late summer (January/February). Body mass, body composition (% lipid), and a suite of metabolic hormones (growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I, cortisol, total thyroxine (tT<sub>4</sub>), free thyroxine (fT<sub>4</sub>), and total triiodothyronine (tT<sub>3</sub>) and IGF binding protein (IGFBP)-2 and −3) were measured. Postpartum seals gained mass after weaning (0.98 ± 0.56 kg·day<sup>−1</sup> (mean ± SD)), primarily as lean tissue rather than lipid, while their serum concentrations of tT<sub>4</sub> and fT<sub>4</sub>, IGF-I, and cortisol increased. Their circulating GH and IGFBP-2 concentrations decreased and correlated negatively with mass. Skip females had greater body masses and lipid stores than postpartum seals at the end of the lactation period in early summer, but they lost mass (−1.03 ± 0.35 kg·day<sup>−1</sup>) and lipid stores over summer while their serum cortisol concentrations increased. Overall, body mass and composition of postpartum and skip females converged across summer. This convergence, likely driven in large part by contrasting endocrine profiles between the groups, may allow female Weddell seals to reach an advantageous seasonal body mass “set point” by onset of winter.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12582,"journal":{"name":"General and comparative endocrinology","volume":"365 ","pages":"Article 114706"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143614578","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Michael Tea, Laurence E. Dionne-Wilson, Marie-Ève Bélair-Bambrick, Kathleen M. Gilmour
{"title":"Cortisol production by interrenal cells in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) is stimulated by 5-HT4 receptor activation","authors":"Michael Tea, Laurence E. Dionne-Wilson, Marie-Ève Bélair-Bambrick, Kathleen M. Gilmour","doi":"10.1016/j.ygcen.2025.114694","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ygcen.2025.114694","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Although serotonin (5-HT) can stimulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal (HPI) axis in fishes, the sites of 5-HT action and the receptor subtypes involved remain unclear. Therefore, the present study identified potential sites of 5-HT action within the HPI axis of rainbow trout, <em>Oncorhynchus mykiss</em>, and examined which of three 5-HT receptor subtypes mediated effects of 5-HT on cortisol production. Expression of the receptors <em>5htr1a</em>, <em>5htr2</em> and <em>5htr4</em> was detected at all three levels of the HPI axis, with significantly higher transcript abundance in the preoptic area (POA) of the brain than in the pituitary or head kidney. Administration of 300nmol kg<sup>−1</sup> 5-HT, but not 30nmol kg<sup>−1</sup>, to cannulated rainbow trout significantly increased circulating cortisol. Despite this cortisol response, no specific effects of 5-HT administration on POA transcript abundance of corticotropin-releasing factor (<em>crf</em>) or circulating adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) concentrations were detected. To assess the direct actions of 5-HT on cortisol production, head kidney tissue was incubated <em>in vitro</em> with 5-HT or selective 5-HT receptor agonists. Neither the 5-HT<sub>1A</sub> receptor agonist 8-hydroxy-2-(di-<em>n</em>-propylamino)-tetralin (8-OH-DPAT) nor the 5-HT<sub>2</sub> receptor agonist α-methyl-5-hydroxytryptamine maleate (α −methyl 5-HT) stimulated cortisol production. However, head kidney cortisol production was significantly increased by the 5-HT<sub>4</sub> receptor agonist cisapride, an effect that was eliminated when tissue was incubated with a combination of cisapride and the 5-HT<sub>4</sub> receptor antagonist GR125487. Collectively, these data support a role for 5-HT in HPI axis activation in rainbow trout, and suggest that effects of 5-HT in the head kidney are mediated by the 5-HT<sub>4</sub> receptor.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12582,"journal":{"name":"General and comparative endocrinology","volume":"364 ","pages":"Article 114694"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143515435","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Physiological roles of ghrelin in the regulation of gastrointestinal motility in vertebrates","authors":"Shuangyi Zhang , Hiroyuki Kaiya , Takio Kitazawa","doi":"10.1016/j.ygcen.2025.114698","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ygcen.2025.114698","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ghrelin is known to be a multifunctional peptide hormone that stimulates not only growth hormone secretion and feeding but also gastrointestinal (GI) functions, including motility, secretion and mucosa proliferation. The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview on the physiological roles of ghrelin in the regulation of GI motility from a comparative perspective. The effects of ghrelin on GI motility differ depending on the species, and ghrelin is a possible regulator of gastric migrating motor complexes (MMCs) in rodents, dogs and house musk shrew (<em>suncus</em>). However, the role of ghrelin has not been clarified in detail in other mammals, including humans and rabbits. Ghrelin is also effective to cause contraction in the GI tract of some non-mammals, but its physiological role is also not clarified at present. Distribution of the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR, ghrelin receptor) in the GI tract might be connected with the regulatory role of ghrelin in vertebrates. Comparative studies of ghrelin among animals and identification of knowledge gaps must lead us to the functional transition and importance of ghrelin in the GI tract.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12582,"journal":{"name":"General and comparative endocrinology","volume":"365 ","pages":"Article 114698"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143536964","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Three types of 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases involved in Japanese eel ovarian steroidogenesis","authors":"Hiroshi Suzuki , Risa Ito , Yuichi Ozaki , Yukinori Kazeto","doi":"10.1016/j.ygcen.2025.114697","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ygcen.2025.114697","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The synthesis of estradiol-17β (E2), an important steroid hormone in piscine gametogenesis, is catalyzed by various steroidogenic enzymes under the control of pituitary gonadotropins (Gths), follicle-stimulating hormone (Fsh), and luteinizing hormone (Lh). Among these enzymes, 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (Hsd17bs) with 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase/17-ketosteroid reductase activities are crucial enzymes in the synthesis of sex steroid hormones in gonadal and extra-gonadal tissues. In teleost species, although Hsd17b1 is recognized as essential for E2 synthesis, other Hsd17b types have recently been shown to have the potential to produce E2; however, information is limited. In this study, we isolated cDNA encoding Hsd17b7 from Japanese eels. We then characterized both <em>hsd17b7</em> and <em>hsd17b12a</em> and compared their properties with those of <em>hsd17b1</em> to identify the enzymes involved in E2 synthesis during ovarian development. The isolated <em>hsd17b7</em> cDNAs putatively encoded 345 amino acid residues with conserved signatures of the short-chain dehydrogenase family. Recombinant Hsd17b7 and Hsd17b12a expressed in Human kidney 293T cells transformed androstenedione (A4) into testosterone (T) and estrone (E1) into E2. Tissue distribution analysis using quantitative real-time PCR revealed that <em>hsd17b1</em>, <em>hsd17b7</em>, and <em>hsd17b12a</em> mRNA were present in the ovaries of immature female Japanese eels. Furthermore, among the three <em>hsd17b</em>s, only <em>hsd17b1</em> expression was upregulated during ovarian development. These results suggest that Hsd17b1, Hsd17b7, and Hsd17b12a are involved in E2 synthesis in the ovaries of the Japanese eel, and that Hsd17b1 plays a particularly important role in E2 production during oogenesis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12582,"journal":{"name":"General and comparative endocrinology","volume":"365 ","pages":"Article 114697"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143536966","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lindsey J. Broadus , Mitchell G. Hinton , Thomas P. Hahn , John C. Wingfield , John M. Eadie , Maja M. Makagon
{"title":"Evaluating variation in acute stress response in captive Wood Ducks (Aix sponsa)","authors":"Lindsey J. Broadus , Mitchell G. Hinton , Thomas P. Hahn , John C. Wingfield , John M. Eadie , Maja M. Makagon","doi":"10.1016/j.ygcen.2025.114687","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ygcen.2025.114687","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Acute stress response has been linked to body condition and associated with the allocation of finite energy resources in wild, free-living birds. However, the relationship between the body condition of individuals and the acute stress response is less clear for birds kept in captive settings, where energy resources are abundant and readily available. We evaluated how individual variation in body condition, reflected as body mass, relates to the acute stress response in adult captive Wood Ducks (<em>Aix sponsa</em>) hatched from eggs collected in the wild and reared in captivity while birds were fed <em>ad libitum,</em> in and out of the breeding season. We determined plasma corticosterone (CORT) levels from blood collected within 3 min of capture and at 10, 30, and 60 min post-capture from 28 ducks during spring and fall, in and out of breeding season. Body condition measurements were recorded once for each bird in early spring. The effects of body mass, age, and time of year (in vs. out of breeding season) on total and maximum CORT secreted were analyzed in Generalized Linear Mixed Models (GLMM). No relationships between age, body mass, and total or maximum CORT were found. There was a significant difference in response in and out of the breeding season for total CORT (<em>p</em> < 0.01) and maximum CORT (<em>p</em> < 0.001), with a higher response during the breeding season. Measures of individual responses for total (<em>p</em> = 0.001) and maximum CORT (<em>p</em> < 0.01) were consistent across seasons. Baseline CORT levels were consistently low, with 53.6 % and 78.6 % of the samples below the detection limit during and outside of breeding season, respectively. These results highlight differences in baseline CORT maintenance compared to studies on wild Wood Ducks, potentially relating to environmental differences such as unlimited food supply and protection from predators in captivity. Additionally, we found that captive birds maintain seasonal variation in acute stress response, which reflects some trends found in wild birds, although more research across multiple seasons is warranted. We also found that some captive Wood Ducks continue to increase CORT secretion at the end of the 60 min handling period, indicating that longer handling times may reveal differences in total CORT secreted. Further investigation should be done to assess the costs and benefits of variation in body condition in terms of coping ability across life stages.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12582,"journal":{"name":"General and comparative endocrinology","volume":"364 ","pages":"Article 114687"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143472348","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Effect of blocking transforming growth factor-β/Activin-Myostatin signaling on the expression of ecdysteroid metabolism and responsive genes in the crustacean molting gland (Y-organ)","authors":"Samiha A.M. Benrabaa , Donald L. Mykles","doi":"10.1016/j.ygcen.2025.114675","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ygcen.2025.114675","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Molting in decapod crustaceans is controlled by ecdysteroids synthesized and secreted by the molting gland, or Y-organ (YO). The YO undergoes phenotypic changes in ecdysteroid production that drive molt cycle stage transitions; these are the basal, activated, committed, and repressed states in the intermolt, early premolt, mid- and late premolt, and postmolt stages, respectively. Reduced secretion of molt-inhibiting hormone (MIH) by a neurosecretory center in the eyestalk ganglia activates the YO and the animal transitions to early premolt. During premolt, transforming growth factor-beta (TGFβ)/Activin-Myostatin (Mstn) signaling mediates the transition of the YO from the activated to the committed state, as SB431542 blocks this transition. In the blackback land crab, <em>Gecarcinus lateralis</em>, the YO expresses genes involved in ecdysteroid synthesis (<em>Gl-NADK</em>, <em>Gl-ALAS</em> and Halloween genes <em>Gl-Nvd</em>, <em>Gl-Spo</em>, <em>Gl-Phm</em>, <em>Gl-Dib</em>, and <em>Gl-Sad</em>) and catabolism (<em>Gl-CYP18a1</em>); ecdysteroid signaling (ecdysteroid responsive genes <em>Gl-EcR</em>, <em>Gl-RXR</em>, <em>Gl-Br-C</em>, <em>Gl-HR3</em>, <em>Gl-HR4</em>, <em>Gl-E74</em>, <em>Gl-E75</em>, and <em>Gl-Ftz-f1</em>); and <em>Gl-FOXO</em>. Intermolt adult <em>G. lateralis</em> were induced to molt by eyestalk ablation (ESA) and injected with either dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) vehicle (control) or SB431542 in DMSO (experimental) at Day 0. ESA increased hemolymph ecdysteroid titer at 1, 3, and 5 days post-ESA in both control and experimental groups, indicating that SB431542 had no effect on YO activation. Ecdysteroid titer did not increase further in the experimental group at 7 and 14 days post-ESA, indicating that SB431542 prevented transition of the YO to the committed state. ESA with or without SB431542 had no effect on the mRNA levels of the eight ecdysteroid metabolism genes, seven of the eight ecdysteroid responsive genes (the only exception was <em>Gl-E74</em> at 1 day post-ESA), and <em>Gl-FOXO</em> at 1, 3, and 5 days post-ESA. Compared to the control group, SB431542 lowered the mRNA level of <em>Gl-Nvd</em> at 7 and 14 days post-ESA and mRNA levels of <em>Gl-Spo</em>, <em>Gl-Phm</em>, <em>Gl-Dib</em>, <em>Gl-Sad, Gl-CYP18a1, Gl-ALAS</em>, <em>Gl-NADK, Gl-EcR</em>, <em>Gl-RXR</em>, <em>Gl-Br-C</em>, and <em>Gl-FOXO</em> at 14 days post-ESA. SB431542 had no effect on the mRNA levels of <em>Gl-HR3 Gl-HR4, Gl-E74, Gl-E75</em> and <em>Gl-Ftz-f1</em>. These results suggest that TGFβ/Activin-Mstn signaling maintains the mRNA levels of genes needed for increased ecdysteroid synthesis and signaling in the committed YO during mid- and late premolt.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12582,"journal":{"name":"General and comparative endocrinology","volume":"362 ","pages":"Article 114675"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143348438","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"An insight into the molecular mechanisms of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) mediated dysregulation of glucose and lipid homeostasis in Heteropneustes fossilis","authors":"Shubhendu Shekhar Ray, Archisman Mahapatra, Priya Gupta, Anjali Suman, Rahul Kumar Singh","doi":"10.1016/j.ygcen.2025.114670","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ygcen.2025.114670","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The study emphasises how ubiquitous persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are and how terrible they are for the environment, specifically because of their tendency to build up in living things and cause a variety of health problems, including diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disorders. Due to POPs affinity for lipid-rich tissues, they accumulate in a variety of organs, where they cause metabolic disruption and initiate various anabolic pathways. Studies that use fish as a model organism clarify the metabolic effects of POPs, demonstrating non-adipose lipid accumulation and abnormal glucose homeostasis. Further research on molecular mechanisms shows that POPs interact with gluconeogenic enzymes, causing blood glucose levels to rise. These results are supported by histological and biochemical examinations of fish exposed to POPs, which show changes in lipid composition and cause cellular damage. Molecular docking computational studies demonstrate POPs propensity for binding to gluconeogenic enzymes, providing insight into their potential to promote hyperglycaemia. This study provides a thorough summary of POPs harmful effects on organisms, highlighting their molecular and toxicological, impacts while arguing for better knowledge of their toxicity to vertebrates’ developing embryos.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12582,"journal":{"name":"General and comparative endocrinology","volume":"362 ","pages":"Article 114670"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143065101","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}