A Teleost Model to Study Sex Steroid Regulation of Early Oogenesis and Ovarian Follicle Development

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The production of a vertebrate egg is a complex process controlled by systemic and ovarian hormones. Critical gaps exist in knowledge of the regulation of the early stages of development, including humans, when a variety of maternal materials that support early embryonic development are laid down in a coordinated fashion in the developing egg (oocyte). Thus, many aspects of "egg quality", the term used to describe an egg that can be successively fertilized and lead to a viable offspring, are determined during this time. Using a novel tissue culture system and molecular and cell biology approaches, this project will characterize the effects of sex steroid hormones on early development of oocytes of coho salmon, determine their modes of action, and determine the complex interplay between systemic and locally acting ovarian hormones in regulating development. It is anticipated that androgens and estrogens act in a steroid-specific and stage-dependent fashion, and that a number of novel, steroid-regulated genes will be identified. Because of the conserved nature of egg development in vertebrates, the research will improve fundamental knowledge on the systems regulating egg development in vertebrates, including humans and agriculturally important animals, permit the development of an experimental platform that will allow critical assessment of the potential impact of environmental endocrine disrupting contaminants that interfere with signaling by endogenous steroids, and may lead to the development of improved methods to overcome reproductive dysfunction of captive-reared fish in conservation and commercial aquaculture. This project will also have a significant impact on the education of a postdoctoral trainee, a MS student and undergraduate researchers.