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Updated: Mar 20, 2026

Dissection of Larval Zebrafish Gonadal Tissue
Published on: April 26, 2017
Identification of gonadal soma-derived factor involvement in Monopterus albus (protogynous rice field eel) sex change
Yefei Zhu1, Chunlei Wang1, Xiaowu Chen1
1Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Education, College of Fisheries and Life Sciences, Shanghai Ocean University, HuchengHuan Road 999, Shanghai, 201306, China.
Abstract:
We studied molecular events and potential mechanisms underlying the process of female-to-male sex transformation in the rice field eel (Monopterus albus), a protogynous hermaphrodite fish in which the gonad is initially a female ovary and transforms into male testes. We cloned and identified a novel gonadal soma derived factor (GSDF), which encodes a member of the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily. gsdf expression was measured in gonads of female, intersex and male with reverse transcription-PCR and gsdf's role in sex transformation was studied with qPCR, histological analysis and dual-color in situ hybridization assays and compared to other sex-related genes. gsdf was correlated to Sertoli cell differentiation, indicating involvement in testicular differentiation and sex transformation from female to male in this species. A unique expression pattern reveals a potential role of gsdf essential for the sex transformation of rice field eels.
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