Activin/follistatin信号系统对中华鲟卵巢发育的调控及作用机制

The Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis) is currently endangered due to the deteriorated natural habitat caused by anthropogenic interferences. The artificial propagation of the Chinese sturgeon has already been successful, but with limited population of females for propagation, which hampers the speed of species recover. It mainly because it is rather difficult for the breeding females to reach final sexual maturation with a long period of sex maturity. The activin/follistatin system has been reported to play significant roles in the regulation of fish ovary development, by interactions with the gonadotropins. This study aims to identify the key genes in the activin/follistatin systems and demonstrate the expression patterns of the acquired genes by real-time PCR, RNA in situ hybridization, Western blot and fluorescence immunochemistry. Besides, in vivo injection, in vitro oocyte incubation and recombinant protein addition methods will be adopted to investigate their regulation of the ovary development during stageⅡand Ⅲ and the specific pathway involved. The results in this study will be helpful to understand the molecular endocrine regulation of the ovary development, to explore the ovary development promotion of the propagated Chinese sturgeon through recombinant protein addition, and to further offer the theoretic basis and technological support for both the ovary maturation regulation and the species conservation of the endangered Chinese sturgeon.

由于人类活动的影响，中华鲟生存环境持续恶化，物种处于极度濒危状态。中华鲟全人工繁殖虽已突破，但养殖雌性亲本的卵巢发育周期过长且成熟困难，导致可用于人工繁殖的雌性亲本数量非常有限，严重限制了其物种恢复速度。Activin/follistatin信号系统已被证明可通过与促性腺激素相互作用调节鱼类卵母细胞的发育。本项目拟鉴定中华鲟activin/follistatin信号系统关键基因，运用荧光定量PCR、RNA原位杂交、Western blot和免疫组化等方法揭示所得基因的表达特征。并采用体内注射、离体细胞孵育及重组蛋白投喂等技术研究其在中华鲟Ⅱ期及Ⅲ期卵巢发育中的调控功能及作用机制。本研究将有助于深入了解中华鲟卵巢发育的内分泌调控机制，探索通过重组蛋白投喂促进养殖中华鲟的卵巢发育成熟技术，最终为养殖中华鲟的卵巢成熟调控及物种保护提供理论基础和技术支撑。