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Fishes
Special Issues
Molecular Mechanisms of Fish Sex Differentiation and Sexual Plasticity
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Molecular Mechanisms of Fish Sex Differentiation and Sexual Plasticity

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2025) | Viewed by 1822

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Linyan Zhou

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Guest Editor
Fisheries Engineering Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Beijing, China
Interests: fish sex determination and differentiation; genetics and epigenetics; hermaphrodites and sex reversal; interactions between environmental factors and sexual plasticity; sexual control breeding
Dr. Hong-Wei Yan

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Guest Editor
College of Fisheries and Life Science, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, China
Interests: sea fish breeding; fish embryonic development; fish sex differentiation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Li-Min Wu

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Guest Editor
College of Fisheries, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, China
Interests: sex determination and differentiation; reproduction; development; oogenesis; gynogenesis
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Dr. Tapas Chakraborty

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Guest Editor
Fisheries Research Institute of Karatsu, Kyushu University, 59-2 Ouka, Karatsu-City, Saga 847-0132, Japan
Interests: stem cell; germ cell; endocrinology; autophagy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The molecular mechanisms of sex determination is quite conserved in vertebrates, and an understanding of the mechanisms will contribute to the evolutionary pathways of sex determination mechanisms in all vertebrates. The sex determination and differentiation of fish is primitive, diverse, and changeable, and investigations of the genetics and epigenetic mechanisms of fish sex determination will promote the understanding of the mechanisms of the interaction between the environment and the organisms. The development and application of genetic markers and biotechnology on sex control to produce fast growth mono-sex populations will contribute to rapid advancements in aquaculture.

The aim of this Special Issue is to provide an active forum to present the results of studies of basic and applied topics in genetics, epigenetics, and biotechnology involving aquatic and marine fish.

The scope of this Special Issue includes, but is not limited to, the following directions:

  • The molecular mechanisms of fish sex determination and differentiation;
  • The influence of environmental factors on sex determination in fish;
  • Studies on the role of the sex chromosome composition of primordial germ cells in sex determination;
  • The development of new sex genetic markers and analytic tools;
  • The development of artificial sex control technology and breeding of mono-sex populations in fish;
  • The selective breeding of cultured aquatic and marine mono-sex animals.

Prof. Dr. Linyan Zhou
Dr. Hong-Wei Yan
Dr. Li-Min Wu
Dr. Tapas Chakraborty
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Fishes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • fish sex determination and differentiation genetics and epigenetics
  • hermaphrodites and sex reversal
  • environmental factors and sexual plasticity
  • sexual control breeding and biotechnology

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 3252 KB  
Article
Generation of WW Superfemale Sturgeons Through Hormonal Masculinization of ZW Females
by Ryohei Surugaya, Kazuki Tousaka, Shun Yoshida, Shinji Adachi and Shigeho Ijiri
Fishes 2025, 10(12), 618; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes10120618 - 2 Dec 2025
Viewed by 125
Abstract
In sturgeon aquaculture, all-female production is desirable due to the high value of caviar. Genetic sexing and the production of WW superfemales are important steps toward achieving this. In this study, we identified the WSR and ZSR primers for amplification of W- and [...] Read more.
In sturgeon aquaculture, all-female production is desirable due to the high value of caviar. Genetic sexing and the production of WW superfemales are important steps toward achieving this. In this study, we identified the WSR and ZSR primers for amplification of W- and Z-specific regions, respectively. WSR primers were designed on the gene W-linked RT RNase H-like domain containing protein (rnhW). The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) bands were obtained with the WSR primer only in phenotypic female sturgeons, indicating that stable genetic sexing was achieved in most species, including those captured around Hokkaido. Moreover, rnhW showed female-specific expression in the gonads during early sex differentiation in kaluga and Amur sturgeon. ZSR primers were developed from the orofacial cleft 1 candidate gene 1 protein homolog. Clear and distinct gel band patterns for ZZ, ZW, and WW genotypes were obtained using WSR and ZSR primers, consistent with genotypic estimations by quantitative PCR. This consistency confirmed the presence of WW superfemales among offspring produced by fertilizing ZW females with ZW pseudomales masculinized using 17α-methyltestosterone. Our findings provide new insights into the mechanisms of sex determination and differentiation in sturgeons, bringing the establishment of an all-female production system within reach. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Mechanisms of Fish Sex Differentiation and Sexual Plasticity)
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16 pages, 7302 KB  
Article
circRNA Profiling Reveals Regulatory Networks Underlying Gonadal Differentiation in Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)
by Mengfan Wu, Shangqi Li, Shen Huang, Wenzheng Sun, Xingxing Guo, Yanbin Zhang, Yiyun Du, You Wu, Linyan Zhou and Jian Xu
Fishes 2025, 10(10), 493; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes10100493 - 2 Oct 2025
Viewed by 559
Abstract
The Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), a key aquaculture species, displays marked sexual growth dimorphism, with males growing faster than females. This process is governed by intricate interactions between antagonistic regulators, including transcription factors, growth factors, and steroid hormones, operating through sex-specific [...] Read more.
The Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), a key aquaculture species, displays marked sexual growth dimorphism, with males growing faster than females. This process is governed by intricate interactions between antagonistic regulators, including transcription factors, growth factors, and steroid hormones, operating through sex-specific developmental pathways. While circular RNAs (circRNAs) are known to modulate gene expression by sponging microRNAs (miRNAs), their role in teleost sex differentiation remains poorly understood. To address this gap, we profiled circRNA expression in tilapia gonads by constructing six circRNA libraries from testes and ovaries of 180 days after hatching (dah) fish, followed by high-throughput sequencing. We identified 6564 gonadal circRNAs distributed across all 22 linkage groups, including 226 differentially expressed circRNAs (DECs; 108 testis-biased, 118 ovary-biased). Functional enrichment analysis linked their host genes to critical pathways such as cAMP signaling, cell adhesion molecules, and—notably—sexual differentiation processes (e.g., estrogen signaling, oocyte meiosis, and steroid hormone biosynthesis). Furthermore, we deciphered competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks, uncovering circRNA–miRNA–mRNA interactions targeting germ cell determinants, sex-specific transcription factors, and steroidogenic enzymes. This study provides the first systematic exploration of circRNA involvement in tilapia sex differentiation and gonadal differentiation, offering novel insights into the post-transcriptional regulation of sexual dimorphism. Our findings advance the understanding of circRNA biology in fish and establish a framework for future studies on aquaculture species with similar reproductive strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Mechanisms of Fish Sex Differentiation and Sexual Plasticity)
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12 pages, 651 KB  
Article
The Involvement of Follicle-Stimulating Hormone in Testis Differentiation in Nile Tilapia
by He Gao, Tomomitsu Arai, Chak Aranyakanont, Dan Li, Megumi Tada and Shigeho Ijiri
Fishes 2025, 10(10), 473; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes10100473 - 23 Sep 2025
Viewed by 593
Abstract
In Nile tilapia, one of the most important aquaculture species, males are larger than females, and an all-male monosex culture offers significant economic benefits. Although the pituitaries of genetic female (XX) and genetic male (XY) tilapia have identical expression levels of follicle-stimulating hormone [...] Read more.
In Nile tilapia, one of the most important aquaculture species, males are larger than females, and an all-male monosex culture offers significant economic benefits. Although the pituitaries of genetic female (XX) and genetic male (XY) tilapia have identical expression levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (fsh), FSH receptor (fshr) expression remains relatively low in XY-undifferentiated gonads and then increases following morphological sex differentiation. The expression patterns of genes related to androgen biosynthesis in XY-undifferentiated gonads are similar to those of fshr during testis differentiation. This might imply that FSH has a potential function in testis differentiation through regulating the expression of genes related to androgen biosynthesis. To determine whether FSH signaling regulated androgen biosynthesis, we microinjected recombinant FSH (rFsh) into XY larvae during the early sex-differentiation stage. We compared the expression of various genes related to testis differentiation after injection. The genes hsd3b, cyp17a1, dmrt1, and gsdf were found to have higher expression in the rFsh treatment group. These results suggest that FSH signaling can activate androgen biosynthesis by regulating steroidogenic enzymes, including hsd3b and cyp17a1. Moreover, injected rFsh can upregulate dmrt1, which has a positive effect on the expression of gsdf. Therefore, during testis differentiation and development, FSH plays a role in both androgen synthesis and the expression of genes related to testis differentiation in Nile tilapia. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Mechanisms of Fish Sex Differentiation and Sexual Plasticity)
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