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Evidence for a conserved role of retinoic acid in urodele amphibian meiosis onset
Author(s) -
Wallacides Angelina,
Chesnel Amand,
Chardard Dominique,
Flament Stéphane,
Dumond Hélène
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
developmental dynamics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.634
H-Index - 141
eISSN - 1097-0177
pISSN - 1058-8388
DOI - 10.1002/dvdy.21948
Subject(s) - pleurodeles , biology , retinoic acid , meiosis , gonad , sexual differentiation , amphibian , germ line development , metamorphosis , germ cell , genetics , microbiology and biotechnology , tretinoin , endocrinology , medicine , gene , botany , ecology , larva
Pleurodeles waltl is a urodele amphibian displaying a ZZ/ZW genetic mode of sex determination. Gonad differentiation can later be modulated by hormone treatment. To investigate germ cell differentiation, we analyzed the expression of the meiosis marker PwDmc1 and show that germ cells enter meiosis in late larval life in females, and 2 months after metamorphosis in males. Organotypic cultures of gonad–mesonephros complexes demonstrated that retinoic acid triggers meiosis entry in P. waltl . In vivo analyses of both PwRaldh2 and PwCyp26b1 expressions, the enzymes required for RA synthesis and degradation respectively, indicate that meiosis onset depends on PwCyp26b1 repression in the gonad during normal or steroid‐induced sex‐reversed development. Taken together, our results show that RA‐dependent meiosis entry could be a conserved mechanism of germ cell differentiation in vertebrates and provide evidence for crosstalk between steroid and RA signaling in the course of sex differentiation. Developmental Dynamics 238:1389–1398, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.