A teleost androgen promotes development of primary ovarian follicles in coho salmon and rapidly alters the ovarian transcriptome†

Recent studies using several teleost models have revealed that androgens increase the size of previtellogenic (primary and/or early secondary) ovarian follicles. To explore our hypothesis that androgens drive the development of primary follicles into early secondary follicles, and to determine the mechanisms underlying these androgenic effects, we exposed juvenile coho salmon to near-physiological and relatively sustained levels of the nonaromatizable androgen 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT). This resulted in significant growth of primary ovarian follicles after 10 and 20 days, with follicles after 20 days displaying a morphological phenotype characteristic of early secondary follicles (presence of cortical alveoli). Utilizing the same experimental approach, we then analyzed how 11-KT rapidly altered the ovarian transcriptome after 1 and 3 days of treatment. RNA-Seq analysis revealed that 69 (day 1) and 1,022 (day 3) contiguous sequences (contigs) were differentially expressed relative to controls. The differentially expressed contigs mapped to genes including those encoding proteins involved in gonadotropin, steroid hormone, and growth factor signaling, and in cell and ovarian development, including genes with putative androgen-response elements. Biological functions and canonical pathways identified as potentially altered by 11-KT include those involved in ovarian development, tissue differentiation and remodeling, and lipid metabolism. We conclude that androgens play a major role in stimulating primary ovarian follicle development and the transition into secondary growth.