Ontogenic expression patterns of several nuclear receptors and cytochrome P450 aromatases in brain and gonads of the Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus suggests their involvement in sex differentiation.

Using semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction we analyzed the ontogenic expression patterns of several nuclear receptors (estrogen receptors [ERalpha and beta], androgen receptors [ARalpha and beta], Ad4BP/SF-1 and Dax-1) and cytochrome P450 aromatases (brain and ovarian types) in whole brain and gonads of the Nile tilapia. ERalpha and beta transcripts were evident in both sexes with a high expression of ERalpha in females at 0 day after hatching (0 dah). ARalpha appeared early (0 dah) in males and while in females at 25 dah. Among the two types of cytochrome P450 aromatases, the expression of the brain type (bP450arom) but not the ovarian type (oP450arom) was evident from 0 to 90 dah in the whole brain of both males and females. Expression of Ad4BP/SF-1 in female brain began from 0 dah but in male brain at 5 dah. Expression of Dax-1 began at 0 dah and it was higher throughout in male brain than that of the female brain. In gonads, ERalpha and beta transcripts were evident in both sexes with slight variation. In females, both oP450arom and Ad4BP/SF-1 amplicons were evident at 15 dah. In males, although faint expressions of Ad4BP/SF-1 amplicons were evident at early duration of development, oP450arom did not appear until 90 dah. Conversely, expression of bP450arom was observed throughout in the developing testis with varied pattern while in developing ovary it was evident till 15 dah and reappeared only after 90 dah. Taken together, present results suggest that brain acts merely as a synchronizer in the sex differentiation process initiated by gonadal cues/factors in the Nile tilapia.