Extreme olfactory specificity of male goldfish to the preovulatory steroidal pheromone 17?,20?-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one

Neurogenic and Neuroendocrine Effects of Goldfish Pheromones

“…At the completion of vitellogenesis, environmental cues, such as temperature changes and the presence of spawning substrates, trigger a gonadotropin (GTH-II) surge in female goldfish. This alters steroidogenesis to favor the production of progestins including 17,20␤-P (Sorensen et al, 1990;Scott and Sorensen, 1994;Kobayashi et al, 2002;Stacey and Sorensen, 2002). Circulatory 17,20␤-P stimulates oocyte maturation and is subsequently released into the water, serving as a preovulatory pheromone (Sorensen et al, 1990;Scott and Sorensen, 1994;Kobayashi et al, 2002;Stacey and Sorensen, 2002).…”

“…This alters steroidogenesis to favor the production of progestins including 17,20␤-P (Sorensen et al, 1990;Scott and Sorensen, 1994;Kobayashi et al, 2002;Stacey and Sorensen, 2002). Circulatory 17,20␤-P stimulates oocyte maturation and is subsequently released into the water, serving as a preovulatory pheromone (Sorensen et al, 1990;Scott and Sorensen, 1994;Kobayashi et al, 2002;Stacey and Sorensen, 2002). Waterborne 17,20␤-P stimulates arousal behaviors and GTH-II release in males, which in turn stimulates milt (sperm and seminal fluid) production Sorensen, 1986, 2002;Dulka et al, 1987).…”

“…They have also been suggested to serve as nonreproductive social cues in goldfish as well as other fish (Hara et al, 1984;Saglio and Fauconneau, 1985). The concentration of PGF 2␣ or 17,20␤-P was chosen according to Sorensen et al (1988Sorensen et al ( , 1989Sorensen et al ( , 1990.…”

Reproduction, olfaction and dominance behaviour in Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis)

“…Female goldfish release a gonadal steroid 17α, 20ß-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-one (17, 20ß-P) into the water before ovulation. The 17, 20ß-P acts as a pheromone and is detected by the male olfactory system that through the brain induces an increase in blood GTH and consequentially an increase in sperm volume (Sorensen et al, 1990). In this case, the medial olfactory tract (MOT) was the mechanism responsible of those responses in males, so at the moment the pheromone (17, 20ß-P) was perceived by the males, the signal was transduced to the brain by the MOTs (Dulka and Stacey, 1991).…”

“…Olfaction has evolved to increase the survival of species by using chemical signals to find food, to guide migration (homing) and control reproductive behaviour. In addition, the olfactory system has been demonstrated to have a role in the control of reproduction in several fish species such as goldfish (Carassius auratus) (Sorensen et al, 1990), Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) (Moore and Waring, 1996), brown trout (Salmo trutta) (Moore, 2002), Indian major carp (Catla catla) (Bhute and Baile, 2007;Biju et al, 2003), Crucian carp (Carassius carassius) (Hamdani and Døving, 2006), masu salmon (Oncorhynchus masou) (Yambe et al, 2006) and Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) (Keller-Costa, 2014). For instance, Sorensen (1992) suggested sex hormones and their metabolites to function as sex pheromones that control the reproductive-physiology and behaviour of the goldfish through the olfactory system.…”