Extra pituitary expression of gonadotropins in pejerrey fish. Relationship with high water temperatures

SORIA FN; ELISIO M; SOMOZA GM; STRUSSMANN CA; MIRANDA LA

Buenos Aires

Jornada; X SAB; 2008

SAB

It is well known that pituitary hormones FSH and LH play a key rol in the regulation of vertebrate reproduction. However, it has been recently demonstrated the extra pituitary presence of these hormones. In this work, fragments of FSH and LH á and â subunits were characterized in the brain and gonads of adults pejerrey of both sexes. Their expression in the brain and gonads of fish kept at different water temperatures was also studied by Real Time-PCR. In all cases, the expression of gonadotropins (GtHs) subunits significantly diminished in fish kept in water from and above 23 °C when compared with fish kept at 19°C, an optimal for reproduction of this species. This difference was even higher in females than in males. In spite of extra pituitary GtHs functions are not clear yet, these results suggest that they can play novel roles acting as neuromodulators in the brain and as regulators in the gonads.