• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.53-66
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• 1988

Histological study was conducted to determine the initial treatment time and treatment period of hormone for sex reversal in accordance with gonadal development and sexual differentiation in Oreochromis niloticus. The effects of various concentrations and various treatment periods of 17$\alpha$-methyltestosterone (MT) on sex reversal, growth, and condition factor were also evaluated. Paired primodial gonads were formed 9 days after hatching, when germ cells began their gradual multiplication and development into gonial ones. Sex differentiation of gonads either into ovaries or testes became histologically discernible about 20 days after hatching with formation of ovarian cavity and efferent duct. All feed treated with MT at 15 ppm for 10 days or more produced populations of males $95\%$ or above. All male populations were produced at 15 ppm MT for 40 days, and 30 ppm for 30 and 40 days. Growth of hormone-treated-fish was faster than that of untreated ones and the condition factor of hormone-treated-fish was greater than that of untreated ones 77 days after hatching.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.127-134
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• 2012

We investigated the effects of fadrozol, an aromatase inhibitor (AI), and $17{\alpha}$-methyltestosterone (MT) on the induction of sex change in juvenile longtooth grouper $Epinephelus$ $bruneus$, via histological observation of gonads. Changes in the mRNA expression of GtH subunits (FSH-${\beta}$ and LH-${\beta}$) in the pituitary, and estradiol-$17{\beta}$ (E2) and 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT) levels in the blood were also surveyed after AI and MT treatment. Juvenile longtooth groupers ($113{\pm}17g\;body\;weight$; $16.2{\pm}1.2cm\;body\;length$) received intramuscular injections of AI at 3 (3-AI) and 5 (5-AI) mg/kg BWdoses and MT at a 5 mg/kg BW (5-MT) dose. At week 7 post-injection, 3-AI and 5-MT oocytes were degenerated, and gonads of the 5-AI group initiated spermatogenesis. At week 21 post-injection, 3-AI- and 5-MT-treated gonads contained spermatogonia and spermatocytes, while 5-AI treatment induced advanced stages of spermatogenesis. The serum E2 level showed no significant differences throughout the experimental period, whereas that of 11-KT was significantly elevated in the 5-AI group at weeks 7 and 21 post-injection. A significant increase in the expression of FSH-${\beta}$ mRNA was evident in the 5-AI group at week 21 post-injection. In contrast, LH-${\beta}$ mRNA expression did not significantly differ among groups during the experimental period. These results imply that sex change has two stages in the longtooth grouper. In the first stage, oocytes are degenerated by the stimulation by 11-KT, and in the second stage spermatogenesis occurs, owing to the co-effects of 11-KT and FSH-${\beta}$.