Seasonal changes in the expression of the androgen receptor in the testes of the domestic goose (Anser anser f. domestica)

Leska, Anna; Kieżun, Jacek; Kamińska, Barbara; Dusza, Luiza

doi:10.1016/j.ygcen.2012.07.026

Cited by 33 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Important to the ideas outlined above, we present evidence that levels of AR expression are responsive to effects of selection. Amounts of AR transcribed in the forelimb muscles and spinal cord are decoupled from the amounts of AR transcribed in the testes, a known androgen target in birds (Nastiuk & Clayton 1994;Leska et al 2012). Thus, this suggests that species with high levels of AR in their neuromuscular system do not necessarily maintain proportionately high levels of AR in all other parts of the body.…”

Section: U S C U L a R A N D R O G E N R E C E P T O R ( A R ) A S mentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolutionary patterns of adaptive acrobatics and physical performance predict expression profiles of androgen receptor – but not oestrogen receptor – in the forelimb musculature

et al. 2015

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1. Superior physical competence is vital to the adaptive behavioral routines of many animals, particularly those that engage in elaborate socio-sexual displays. How such traits evolve across species remains unclear. 2. Recent work suggests that activation of sex steroid receptors in neuromuscular systems is necessary for the fine motor skills needed to execute physically elaborate displays. Thus, using passerine birds as models, we test whether interspecific variation in display complexity predicts species differences in the abundance of androgen and estrogen receptors (AR and ERα) expressed in the forelimb musculature and spinal cord. 3. We find that small-scale evolutionary patterns in physical display complexity positively predict expression of the AR in the main muscles that lift and retract the wings. No such relationship is detected in the spinal cord, and we do not find a correlation between display behavior and neuromuscular expression of ERα. Also, we find that AR expression levels in different androgen targets throughout the body – namely the wing muscles, spinal cord, and testes – are not necessarily correlated, providing evidence that evolutionary forces may drive AR expression in a tissue-specific manner. 4. These results suggest co-evolution between the physical prowess necessary for display performance and levels of AR expression in avian forelimb muscles. Moreover, this relationship appears to be specific to muscle and AR-mediated, but not ERα-mediated, signaling. 5. Given that prior work suggests that activation of muscular AR is a necessary component of physical display performance, our current data support the hypothesis that sexual selection shapes levels of AR expressed in the forelimb skeletal muscles to help drive the evolution of adaptive motor abilities.

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Section: U S C U L a R A N D R O G E N R E C E P T O R ( A R ) A S mentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolutionary patterns of adaptive acrobatics and physical performance predict expression profiles of androgen receptor – but not oestrogen receptor – in the forelimb musculature

et al. 2015

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“…It is generally acknowledged that seasonal fluctuations in the morphology and function of bird testes are primarily regulated by seasonal changes in circulating concentrations of testosterone which mediates its action via the androgen receptor. However, it has not yet been elucidated whether gonadal sensitivity to androgens also varies across the bird reproductive cycle (LESKA et al, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal reproductive cycle and variability in plasma testosterone levels in the domestic duck (Anas platyrhynchos)

et al. 2017

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ABSTRACT:Morphofunctional gonadal alterations constitute an annual cycle in birds during which four phases can be distinguished in the testes based on histological modifications in the seminiferous epithelium, called quiescence, recrudescence, reproduction and regression. The aim of the present investigation was to conduct a morphometric and morphological study of the seminiferous epithelium on the testis of domestic duck and to evaluate the plasma testosterone levels in order to determine the possible presence of a reproductive cycle in the tropical region. The study was conducted on 60 adult domestic ducks (Anas platyrhynchos), where five animals were sacrificed per month and the testes were removed and histologically and morphometrically studied. Blood samples of the five animals were collected monthly in the morning period and the testosterone levels were analyzed. Annual reproductive cycle of the domestic duck presented by four distinct phases, starting with the reproductive phase at the beginning of winter (July) and peak of reproduction in spring (October), accompanied by an increase in tubule seminiferous diameter, epithelium height, weight and testicular volume, followed by a regressive phase at the end of spring (November) and the beginning of summer (December). Testicular quiescence was observed during summer (January and February) and was followed by a phase of spermatogenic recrudescence, which lasted throughout autumn (March to June), corresponding to the longest phase of the cycle. Complete spermiogenesis in terms of spermatozoa maturation and spermiation was observed during the reproductive phase, coinciding with the plasma testosterone peak. At regressive phase an exfoliation of the seminiferous epithelium was observed, accompanied by a great amount of fibrillar collagen. A decrease in tubular seminiferous diameter and epithelium height was observed during testicular quiescence, with predominance of spermatogonia and Sertoli cells and a second plasma testosterone peak was also observed during this phase (January), probably representing the preparation for a gradual return to the spermatogenic process during recrudescence. The latter phase was characterized by gradual recovery of the seminiferous epithelium, accompanied by the increase of spermatogonia, onset of meiosis, and the presence of primary spermatocytes and maturing spermatids. In conclusion the domestic duck presented the testicular cycle divided in four distinct phases in the tropical region with testosterone peaks in the testicular quiescence and reproductive phases.

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“…In comparison, less attention has been given to localizing ARs in non-mammalian vertebrates. However, recent studies have detected ARs in the male reproductive organs of a few diverse species including bony fish (e.g., zebrafish Danio rerio, de Waal et al, 2008), amphibians (e.g., bullfrog Rana catesbeiana, Chattopadhyay et al, 2003), reptiles (e.g., American alligator Alligator mississippiensis, Moore et al, 2010), and birds (e.g., rooster Gallus domsticus, Dornas et al, 2008; goose Anser anser f. domestica, Leska et al, 2012). Collectively, these studies suggest roles for androgens similar to those in mammals, such as in the indirect regulation of spermatogenesis through somatic cells and the maturation and maintenance of spermatozoa in the epididymis.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Androgen receptors in the bonnethead, Sphyrna tiburo: cDNA cloning and tissue-specific expression in the male reproductive tract

Tyminski

Gelsleichter

Motta

2015

General and Comparative Endocrinology

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As demonstrated in past studies, androgens appear to play critical roles in regulating reproduction in male sharks. However, little is known about the cell-specific actions of androgens in these fishes. To address this, this study examined androgen targets in reproductive organs of a seasonally reproducing shark, the bonnethead (Sphyrna tiburo). A partial bonnethead AR cDNA clone was isolated and found to exhibit strong homology with known vertebrate ARs. Using RT-PCR and in situ hybridization, AR was found to be expressed in multiple cell types in the male bonnethead testis (premeiotic germ cells, Leydig-like interstitial cells, Sertoli cells, peritubular myoid cells, and mature spermatozoa) and gonadal ducts (stromal cells, luminal epithelial cells, mature spermatozoa). Furthermore, AR expression in these organs was found to vary temporally in relation to the seasonal reproductive cycle. Based on immunocytochemistry, the presence of AR protein in male bonnethead reproductive organs was largely consistent with patterns of AR gene expression with the single exception of mature spermatozoa, which exhibited consistently strong mRNA expression but only inconsistent and weak AR protein immunoreactivity. These results suggest important roles for androgens in regulating germ cell proliferation, hormone production, spermatid elongation, spermiation, and gonadal duct function in male bonnetheads. In addition, high abundance of AR mRNA in bonnethead spermatozoa suggest the potential for de novo protein synthesis following spermiation/copulation and/or a role for AR mRNA in early embryonic development, both of which have been proposed to explain the occurrence of mRNA transcripts in spermatozoa from various vertebrates.

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Seasonal changes in the expression of the androgen receptor in the testes of the domestic goose (Anser anser f. domestica)

Cited by 33 publications

References 46 publications

Evolutionary patterns of adaptive acrobatics and physical performance predict expression profiles of androgen receptor – but not oestrogen receptor – in the forelimb musculature

Evolutionary patterns of adaptive acrobatics and physical performance predict expression profiles of androgen receptor – but not oestrogen receptor – in the forelimb musculature

Seasonal reproductive cycle and variability in plasma testosterone levels in the domestic duck (Anas platyrhynchos)

Androgen receptors in the bonnethead, Sphyrna tiburo: cDNA cloning and tissue-specific expression in the male reproductive tract

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