Effects of neuropeptides and sex steroids on the pituitary-gonadal axis of pre-pubertal F1 wreckfish (hapuku) Polyprion oxygeneios in vivo: Evidence of inhibitory effects of androgens

The ability to advance puberty in broodstock that have a long generation interval and mature at large size is a highly valuable tool in contemporary aquaculture enterprise. juvenile male and female wreckfish 'hapuku' (Polyprion oxygeneios), a candidate for commercialization in aquaculture, were subjected to treatment for 8 weeks with two implants, one containing steroid (blank; estradio1-17 beta, E2; 11-ketotestosterone, KT; 17 alpha-methyltestosterone, MT), the other peptide (blank; gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog, GnRHa; kisspeptin, Kiss2-12). The expression of target genes (glycoprotein homone alpha-subunit, gpa; follicle stimulating-hormone beta-subunit, fshb; luteinizing hormone beta-subunit, lhb; GnRH receptor, gnrhr) in the pituitary was assayed by quantitative PCR. KT and MT decreased mRNA levels of all target genes in both male and female hapuku, suggestive of a strong inhibitory tone by these steroid hormones. E2, GnRHa and Kiss2-12 were largely ineffective, regardless of whether they were administered alone or in combination with steroid implants. Clear differences in release and/or clearance rates between E2 and KT from implants were evident, in part explaining our observations. Advancement of puberty was not achieved, and we pose that different hormone doses and/or administration during more advanced stages of gonadogenesis need to be considered to move this field forward. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.