Back to Search
Start Over
Reproductiveaxis gene regulation during photostimulation and photorefractoriness in Yangzhou goose ganders
Reproductiveaxis gene regulation during photostimulation and photorefractoriness in Yangzhou goose ganders
- Source :
- Frontiers in Zoology
- Publication Year :
- 2017
- Publisher :
- BioMed Central, 2017.
-
Abstract
- Background The Yangzhou goose is a long-day breeding bird that has been increasingly produced in China. Artificial lighting programs are used for controlling its reproductive activities. This study investigated the regulations of photostimulation and photorefractoriness that govern the onset and cessation of the breeding period. Results Increasing the daily photoperiod from 8 to 12 h rapidly stimulated testis development and increased plasma testosterone concentrations, with peak levels being reached 2 months after the photoperiod increase. Subsequently, testicular activities, testicular weight, spermatogenesis, and plasma testosterone concentrations declined steadily and reached to the nadir at 5 months after the 12-hour photoperiod. Throughout the experiment, plasma concentrations of triiodothyronine and thyroxine changed in reciprocal fashions to that of testosterone. The stimulation of reproductive activities caused by the increasing photoperiod was associated with increases in gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), but decreases in gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) gene messenger RNA (mRNA) levels in the hypothalamus. In the pituitary gland, the levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) mRNA abruptly increased during the longer 12-hour photoperiod. The occurrence of photorefractoriness was associated with increased GnIH gene transcription by over 250-fold, together with increased VIP mRNA levels in the hypothalamus, and then prolactin and thyroid-stimulating hormone in the pituitary gland. FSH receptor, LH receptor, and StAR mRNA levels in the testis changed in ways paralleling those of testicular weight and testosterone concentrations. Conclusions The seasonal reproductive activities in Yangzhou geese were directly stimulated by a long photoperiod via upregulation of GnRH gene transcription, downregulation of GnIH, VIP gene transcription, and stimulation of gonadotrophin. Development of photorefractoriness was characterized by hyper-regulation of GnIH gene transcription in the hypothalamus, in addition of upregulation of VIP and TRH gene transcription, and that of their receptors, in the pituitary gland.
- Subjects :
- 0301 basic medicine
medicine.medical_specialty
Pituitary gland
endocrine system
Photoperiod
Vasoactive intestinal peptide
Gene mRNA expressions
Reproductive activities
Biology
03 medical and health sciences
Internal medicine
medicine
Testosterone
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Research
luteinizing hormone/choriogonadotropin receptor
0402 animal and dairy science
04 agricultural and veterinary sciences
040201 dairy & animal science
Prolactin
030104 developmental biology
Endocrinology
medicine.anatomical_structure
Hypothalamus
Yangzhou goose ganders
Animal Science and Zoology
Follicle-stimulating hormone receptor
Luteinizing hormone
hormones, hormone substitutes, and hormone antagonists
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 17429994
- Volume :
- 14
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Frontiers in Zoology
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....1b67be5f0c87d6c1838e65fa0cb852cf