Photoperiodic Modulation of Brain Kisspeptin 1 Expression and Sex Dependent Differences in Zebrafish (Danio rerio)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21631411Keywords:
Danio rerio, Kisspeptin-1, Neuroendocrine regulation, Photoperiod, Sexual dimorphismAbstract
Kisspeptin-1 is a pivotal neuropeptide that regulates the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal (HPG) axis and integrates environmental cues controlling reproduction in vertebrates. In teleosts, photoperiod is a major environmental cue regulating endocrine and reproductive physiology; however, the interactive effects of light cycle variations and sex-related hormonal differences on kisspeptin-1 regulation remain poorly understood. In this study, we examined the effects of different photoperiod regimes on brain kisspeptin-1 concentrations in adult male and female zebrafish (Danio rerio). Ninety-six fish (4–6 months old, mean body weight = 0.42 ± 0.08 g) were acclimated for two weeks at 28 ± 1°C and randomly assigned to four treatment tanks (12 fish per sex per group). After 28 days of photoperiod exposure, brain tissues were homogenized and analyzed using a fish-specific ELISA kit (Cat No: 201-00-0017). Statistical analyses were performed using independent t-tests to evaluate sex-based and photoperiod-dependent variations. While photoperiod alterations produced no significant effect on KISS1 levels within each sex (p > 0.05), a consistent sexual dimorphism was evident, with females exhibiting significantly higher kisspeptin-1 concentrations than males under all conditions (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that sex-dependent neuroendocrine regulation overrides photoperiodic influence in short-term exposure, emphasizing the dominance of intrinsic hormonal mechanisms in teleost kisspeptin signaling. The results contribute to understanding environmental and endocrine interactions in fish, with implications for reproductive control strategies in aquaculture.
References
Aydın İ, Polat H, Küçük E (2015) The effect of different photoperiod practice on embryogenesis in eggs of Black Sea plaice (Platichthys flesus luscus Pallas, 1814). Yunus Araştırma Bülteni 2:3–7. https://doi.org/10.17693/yunusae.v15i21956.235764
Arai AC, Xia YF, Suzuki E, Kessler M, Civelli O, Nothacker HP (2005) Cancer metastasis-suppressing peptide metastin upregulates excitatory synaptic transmission in hippocampal dentate granule cells. Journal of Neurophysiology 94:3648–3652. https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.00590.2005
Biran J, Ben-Dor S, Levavi-Sivan B (2008) Molecular identification and functional characterization of the kisspeptin/kisspeptin receptor system in lower vertebrates. Biology of Reproduction 79:776–786. https://doi.org/10.1095/biolreprod.107.066266
Cowan M, Davie A, Migaud H (2012) Photoperiod effects on the expression of kisspeptin and gonadotropin genes in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) during first maturation. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology 163:82–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpa.2012.05.191
Çevik C (2013) Alpha lipoic acid application on oxidative indicators, melatonin and cortisol hormones and blood parameters in photoperiod changes in rats. PhD Thesis, Afyon Kocatepe University, Institute of Health Sciences, Department of Physiology (in Turkish)
Downing G, Litvak MK (2002) Effects of light intensity, spectral composition and photoperiod on development and hatching of haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) embryos. Aquaculture 213:265–278. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0044-8486(02)00090-X
Ellis EP, Watanabe WO, Ellis SC, Ginoza J, Moriwake A (1997) Effects of turbulence, salinity, and light intensity on hatching rate and survival of larval Nassau grouper, Epinephelus striatus. Journal of Applied Aquaculture 7:33–43. https://doi.org/10.1300/J028v07n03_04
Escobar S, Felip A, Gueguen MM, Zanuy S, Carrillo M, Kah O, Servili A (2013) Expression of kisspeptins in the brain and pituitary of the European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax). Journal of Comparative Neurology 521:933–948. https://doi.org/10.1002/cne.23211
Fu LY, Van Den Pol AN (2010) Kisspeptin directly excites anorexigenic proopiomelanocortin neurons but inhibits orexigenic neuropeptide Y cells by an indirect synaptic mechanism. Journal of Neuroscience 30:10205–10219. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2098-10.2010
Hiden U, Bilban M, Knöfler M, Desoye G (2007) Kisspeptins and the placenta: regulation of trophoblast invasion. Reviews in Endocrine & Metabolic Disorders 8:31–39. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11154-007-9030-8
Hill JW, Elmquist JK, Elias CF (2008) Hypothalamic pathways linking energy balance and reproduction. American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism 294:E827–E832. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpendo.00670.2007
Kanda S, Akazome Y, Matsunaga T, Yamamoto N, Yamada S, Tsukamura H, Maeda K, Oka Y (2008) Identification of KiSS-1 product kisspeptin and steroid-sensitive sexually dimorphic kisspeptin neurons in medaka (Oryzias latipes). Endocrinology 149:2467–2476. https://doi.org/10.1210/en.2007-1503
Kitahashi T, Ogawa S, Parhar IS (2009) Cloning and expression of kiss2 in the zebrafish and medaka. Endocrinology 150:821–831. https://doi.org/10.1210/en.2008-0940
Kitahashi T, Parhar I (2013) Comparative aspects of kisspeptin gene regulation. General and Comparative Endocrinology 181:197–202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ygcen.2012.10.003
Lee JH, Welch DR (1997) Suppression of metastasis in human breast carcinoma MDA-MB-435 cells after transfection with the metastasis suppressor gene, KiSS-1. Cancer Research 57:2384–2387
Lee YR, Tsunekawa K, Moon MJ, Um HN, Hwang JI, Osugi T, Otaki N, Sunakawa Y, Kim K, Vaudry H, Kwon HB, Seong JY, Tsutsui K (2009) Molecular evolution of multiple forms of kisspeptins and GPR54 receptors in vertebrates. Endocrinology 150:2837–2846. https://doi.org/10.1210/en.2008-1679
Martinez-Chavez CC, Minghetti M, Migaud H (2008) GPR54 and rGnRH I gene expression during the onset of puberty in Nile tilapia. General and Comparative Endocrinology 156:224–233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ygcen.2008.01.019
Mechaly AS, Viñas J, Piferrer F (2009) Identification of two isoforms of the kisspeptin-1 receptor (kiss-1r) generated by alternative splicing in a modern teleost, the Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis). Biology of Reproduction 80:60–69. https://doi.org/10.1095/biolreprod.108.072173
Nocillado JN, Levavi-Sivan B, Carrick F, Elizur A (2007) Temporal expression of G protein-coupled receptor 54 (GPR54), gonadotropin-releasing hormones (GnRH), and dopamine receptor D2 (drd2) in pubertal female grey mullet, Mugil cephalus. General and Comparative Endocrinology 150:278–287. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ygcen.2006.09.008
Oakley AE, Clifton DK, Steiner RA (2009) Kisspeptin signaling in the brain. Endocrine Reviews 30:713–743. https://doi.org/10.1210/er.2009-0005
Ogawa S, Parhar IS (2018) Biological significance of kisspeptin–Kiss1 receptor signaling in the habenula of teleost species. Frontiers in Endocrinology 9:222. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2018.00222
Ohga H, Fujinaga Y, Selvaraj S, Kitano H, Nyuji M, Yamaguchi A, Matsuyama M (2013) Identification, characterization and expression profiles of two subtypes of kisspeptin receptors in a scombroid fish (chub mackerel). General and Comparative Endocrinology 193:130–140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ygcen.2013.07.016
Ohtaki T, Shintani Y, Honda S, Matsumoto H, Hori A, Kanehashi K, et al (2001) Metastasis suppressor gene KiSS-1 encodes peptide ligand of a G-protein-coupled receptor. Nature 411:613–617. https://doi.org/10.1038/35079135
Parhar IS, Ogawa S, Sakuma Y (2004) Laser-captured single digoxigenin-labeled neurons of gonadotropin-releasing hormone types reveal a novel G protein-coupled receptor (Gpr54) during maturation in cichlid fish. Endocrinology 145:3613–3618. https://doi.org/10.1210/en.2004-0395
Revel FG, Saboureau M, Masson-Pevet M, Pevet P, Mikkelsen JD, Simonneaux V (2006) Kisspeptin mediates the photoperiodic control of reproduction in hamsters. Current Biology 16:1730–1735. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2006.07.025
Servili A, Le Page Y, Leprince J, Caraty A, Escobar S, Parhar IS, et al (2011) Organization of two independent kisspeptin systems derived from evolutionary-ancient kiss genes in the brain of zebrafish. Endocrinology 152:1527–1540. https://doi.org/10.1210/en.2010-0948
Shin HS, Song JA, Choi JY, Kim NN, Choi YJ, Sung SN, et al (2014) Effects of various photoperiods on kisspeptin and reproductive hormones in the goldfish, Carassius auratus. Animal Cells and Systems 18:109–118. https://doi.org/10.1080/19768354.2014.902863
Silvestre RA, Egido EM, Hernandez R, Marco J (2008) Kisspeptin-13 inhibits insulin secretion without affecting glucagon or somatostatin release: study in the perfused rat pancreas. Journal of Endocrinology 196:283–290. https://doi.org/10.1677/JOE-07-0454
Tena-Sempere M (2006) GPR54 and kisspeptin in reproduction. Human Reproduction Update 12:631–639. https://doi.org/10.1093/humupd/dml023
Watanabe WO, Feeley MW, Ellis SC, Ellis EP (1998) Light intensity and salinity effects on eggs and yolk sac larvae of the summer flounder. Progressive Fish-Culturist 60:9–19. https://doi.org/10.1577/1548-8640(1998)060<0009:LIASEO>2.0.CO;2
Zmora N, Stubblefield J, Zulperi Z, Biran J, Levavi-Sivan B, Muñoz-Cueto JA, Zohar Y (2012) Differential and gonad stage-dependent roles of kisspeptin1 and kisspeptin2 in reproduction in the modern teleosts, Morone species. Biology of Reproduction 86:177. https://doi.org/10.1095/biolreprod.111.097667
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Hydrobiological Research
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
