Synopsis
Changes in serum steroid hormones were studied during the reproductive cycle of two viviparous rockfishes of the genusSebastes. During the annual reproductive cycle of femaleS. taczanowskii, serum levels of estradiol-17β (E2) gradually increased from their lowest in August to maximal levels towards the end of vitellogenesis in February, and rapidly returned to low levels in pregnant females in April and May. Serum progesterone (prog) fluctuated at low levels throughout the annual reproductive cycle, while 17α, 20β-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (17α, 20β-diOHprog) levels were high during gestation in May. Serum levels of these steroids were also measured in femaleS. schlegeli at weekly intervals during late vitellogenesis, gestation and post-parturition. In pregnant females, E2 was high during vitellogenesis, then decreased and remained low throughout gestation. The 17α, 20β-diOHprog levels were low during vitellogenesis, then rapidly increased and remained high during gestation. On the other hand, prog values remained low, with temporal peaks coinciding with the peak of 17α, 20β-diOHprog during gestation. Based on these results and the literature, it is suggested that E2 is the most important steroid involved in vitellogenesis and that 17α, 20β-diOHprog may play an important role in final oocyte maturation and subsequent gestation.
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Nagahama, Y., Takemura, A., Takano, K. et al. Serum steroid hormone levels in relation to the reproductive cycle ofSebastes taczanowskii andS. schlegeli . Environ Biol Fish 30, 31–38 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02296874
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02296874