B. Zikopoulos et al., Cell genesis in the hypothalamus is associated to the sexual phase of a hermaphrodite teleost, NEUROREPORT, 12(11), 2001, pp. 2477-2481
The present study aimed to define sex differences in the genesis of hypotha
lamic and telencephalic cells in the adult brain of male, female and under
sex reversal teleosts (Sparus aurata). Application of 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridin
e immunocytochemistry and quantification of the newborn cells using the dis
ector method, determined a statistically significant difference in the dors
al hypothalamic ventricular area between sexual phases. Female brain exhibi
ted a higher number of newborn cells, suggesting that estrogens possibly in
fluence higher mitotic activity. In contrast, paraventricular organ and ven
tral nucleus of the ventral telencephalon did not show any significant chan
ges, while cell proliferation differences in the preoptic area were correla
ted with age. The sex-specific cell proliferation pattern in the hypothalam
us adds important information on the cellular mechanisms that underlie sex
change in a protandrous hermaphrodite teleost. NeuroReport 12:2477-2481 (C)
2001 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.