Vol. 59, 2020
(update: 2020.10.13; 11.11)
Estrogen
Receptor 1 (ESR1) Agonist Induces Ovarian Differentiation and Aberrant
Müllerian Duct Development in the Chinese Soft-shelled Turtle, Pelodiscus sinensis
Kenji
Toyota1,2,3, Shoichiro Masuda1, Sarina Sugita1,
Kaori Miyaoku1, Genki
Yamagishi1, Hiroshi Akashi1, and Shinichi Miyagawa1,*
doi:10.6620/ZS.2020.59-54
1Department
of Biological Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science,
Tokyo 125-8585, Japan. *Correspondence: E-mail: miyagawa@rs.tus.ac.jp
(Miyagawa). Tel: +81-3-5876-1466
E-mail: megabass0719@yahoo.co.jp (Toyota); 8319556@ed.tus.ac.jp
(Masuda); 8316047@ed.tus.ac.jp (Sugita); k_miyaoku@rs.tus.ac.jp
(Miyaoku); g_yamagishi@rs.tus.ac.jp (Yamagishi);
Hiroshi-AKASHI@hotmail.co.jp (Akashi)
2Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Kanagawa University, Hiratsuka, Kanagawa 259-1293, Japan
3Sado Marine Biological Station, Faculty of Science, Niigata University, Sado, Niigata 952-2135, Japan
Received 9 July 2020 / Accepted 20
August 2020
Communicated by Pung-Pung Hwang
Estrogens
play critical roles in ovarian and reproductive organ development, but
the molecular signaling pathways in non-mammalian vertebrates are not
well understood. Studies of reptiles have indicated that administration
of exogenous estrogens during embryonic development causes ovarian
differentiation and presumptive male to female sex-reversal. The
Chinese soft-shelled turtle, Pelodiscus sinensis,
belongs to the family Trionychidae and exhibits genotypic sex
determination system with ZZ/ZW sex chromosomes. In order to assess the
role of estrogens and their signaling pathway on sex determination and
differentiation, P. sinensis
eggs were given a single administration of endogenous
estrogen,17β-estradiol (E2) or a synthetic estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1)
agonist, 4,4',4"-(4-propyl-[1H]-pyrazole-1,3,5-triyl) trisphenol (PPT) in ovo
during gonadal differentiation, and the subsequent effects were
examined during a final developmental stage prior to hatching. The
administration of both E2 and PPT induced ovarian differentiation in
genetic male embryos. Intriguingly, PPT but not E2 induced the
Müllerian duct enlargement and aberrant glandular development. These
data suggest that ovarian differentiation and reproductive tract
anomalies induced by the exogenous estrogen exposure act through ESR1
in the Chinese soft-shelled turtles.
Key words: Soft-shelled turtle,
Estrogen receptor, Gonad, Müllerian duct, Ovarian differentiation.
Citation:
Toyota K, Masuda S, Sugita S, Miyaoku K, Yamagishi G, Akashi H,
Miyagawa S. 2020. Estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1) agonist induces ovarian
differentiation and aberrant Müllerian duct development in the Chinese
soft-shelled turtle, Pelodiscus
sinensis. Zool Stud 59:54.
doi:10.6620/ZS.2020.59-54.

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