Sex and Reproductive Regulation in Marine Animals

A special issue of Fishes (ISSN 2410-3888). This special issue belongs to the section "Genetics and Biotechnology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2025) | Viewed by 299

Special Issue Editor

Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ministry of Education), College of Marine Life Sciences, Oecan University of China, Qingdao 266003, China
Interests: molecular genetics and genomics; fish breeding; sex determination and differentiation; gametogenesis; stress adaptation; molecular evolution

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Marine animals, representing great biological diversity, exhibit significant diversity, plasticity, and adaptability in sex determination and differentiation, gametogenesis, spawning, and fertilization, which are also suggestive of their divergence at the molecular regulation level and offer great opportunities to understand the origin and maintenance of the sex. In particular, in the context of climate change, determining how the two sexes cope with stressful marine environments is also vital for the protection of natural populations. With the emergence of molecular technologies and -omics platforms in the field of reproduction, it is now possible to provide a unique integration of fundamental advances with applied solutions to decode the differences between sexes. Therefore, this Special Issue aims to make a contribution to the current knowledge of the sex and reproductive regulation of marine animals. We are pleased to solicit manuscripts including research articles, reviews, and communications, as well as perspectives, which address any aspect of the sex and reproductive regulation in marine animals.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Sex determination and differentiation, stem/germ cells, gametogenesis and maturation.
  • Environmental regulation of sex differentiation, sex reversal, and reproduction.
  • Endocrine control under the hypothalamic–pituitary system.
  • Exogenous control with hormones, gene therapies, and germ cell transplantation.
  • Sex dimorphism in growth, size, survival, behavior, etc.

We look forward to your valuable contributions to this Special Issue, which will provide an important platform for advancing the field of reproductive regulation in marine animals.

Dr. Jie Cheng
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • sex determination
  • sex differentiation
  • reproduction
  • gametogenesis
  • stress adaptation
  • endocrinology sexual dimorphism
  • hypothalamic–pituitary system
  • germ cells

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

18 pages, 6861 KiB  
Article
Evolutionary Dynamics and Functional Conservation of amh Signaling in Teleost Lineages
by Lingqun Zhang, Qingke Zhang, Kai Hu, Wei Lu, Weigang Li, Fengchi Wang and Jie Cheng
Fishes 2025, 10(7), 327; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes10070327 - 3 Jul 2025
Viewed by 8
Abstract
The anti-Müllerian hormone (amh) and its receptor, amhr2, along with the downstream bone morphogenetic protein receptors (bmprs), have been recognized as the central regulators in teleost sex determination (SD) and differentiation. However, their evolution and function in reproduction [...] Read more.
The anti-Müllerian hormone (amh) and its receptor, amhr2, along with the downstream bone morphogenetic protein receptors (bmprs), have been recognized as the central regulators in teleost sex determination (SD) and differentiation. However, their evolution and function in reproduction among diverse teleost lineages may represent species-specific patterns and still need more explanation. In this study, systematic investigations of amh signaling genes, including amh, amhy (Y-linked paralog of amh), amhr2, bmpr1, and bmpr2, were conducted among teleost species. The results revealed generally conserved gene copy number, phylogeny, structure, and synteny, among teleost amh signaling genes. Notably, significantly accelerated evolutionary rates (dN/dS) were found in teleost amhy compared to amh, and amh exhibited faster molecular evolution in amhy-SD teleosts than in non-amhy-SD teleosts, suggesting their enhanced evolutionary plasticity in teleosts. Expression profiling identified testis-biased expression of the most amh signaling genes in fish species with different SD genes and mechanisms, including Lateolabrax maculatus and Dicentrarchus labrax from Order Perciformes, Cynoglossus semilaevis and Paralichthys olivaceus from Order Pleuronectiformes, and Salmo salar and Oncorhynchus mykiss from Order Salmoniformes, with ovary-biased expression also found in Salmoniformes. A weighted gene co-expression network analysis further uncovered strong species-specific functional interactions between amh signaling components and genes of germ-cell development, the meiotic process, etc. Collectively, the integrated evidence from this study supports the hypothesis that amh signaling provides the key molecules governing sex differentiation in a species-specific manner in diverse teleost lineages, independent of its SD role, and interacts with functions of both testis and ovary development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sex and Reproductive Regulation in Marine Animals)
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