Acronym NA
Category
Aquaculture
Title Puberty in Salmonid Fish: Endocrine Regulation during the Onset of Sexual Maturation Programme National Programme
Instrument (FP6)
Contact Type (FP7)
Strand (Interreg)
NA
Theme (FP7)
Activity Area (FP6)
Regional Area (Interreg)
Action (COST)
NA
Specific Programme (FP7)
NA
Funding source National Coordinator Monika Schmitz Coordinator email monika.schmitz@kau.se
Coordinator institution
KAU - Karlstad University (Sweden)
Institutions involved
NA
Start year 2007 End year 2009 Funding (€) € 21,320 Website NA Summary The objectives are to investigate which factors are involved in triggering the onset of sexual maturation in salmonids, and how they are regulated. Puberty is characterised by an activation of the brain-pituitary-gonad (B-P-G) axis. Early maturation in farmed fish is a major economical constraint as it leads to impaired growth and reduced harvest quality. Regulatory mechanisms underlying the activation are still poorly understood. There is increasing evidence that growth factors and metabolic hormones may act at different levels of the B-P-G axis to promote the onset of puberty. Specific aims are: (1) To determine endocrine changes at the pituitary-testis axis during the onset of puberty; (2) To investigate the role of growth and nutritional status as triggering signals. Emphasis will be given to the role of growth promoting factors in pubertal stimulation of gonadotropins and their receptors. Experiments applying different food regimes in combination with pituitary cell cultures and testis organ cultures are used to answer these questions; (3) To identify other differentially expressed genes during puberty. Atlantic salmon cDNA micro-arrays are used to screen for differentially expressed genes during early sexual development, giving information about when puberty is initiated and which signalling pathways are involved. The obtained results will lead to a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in puberty and thus provide tools to control early maturation in fish farming.
Keywords
Fish;
Growth rate;
Fish reproduction;
Genetic;
Salmon;
Marine Region
76
Not associated to marine areas
0
Marine Region Map
