Characterization of genes/factors during sex steroid induced gonadal transdifferentiation in catfish: Gonadal recrudescence and gene silencing impacts.
Implementing Organization
University of Hyderabad
Principal Investigator
Dr. Balasubramanian Senthilkumaran
Professor
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University of Hyderabad
About
Clarias magur, a ray-finned catfish, is a model organism that undergoes a seasonal reproductive cycle controlled by various hormones. Catfish can reverse their sex according to environmental, social, and hormonal cues during early development. However, information on gonadal transdifferentiation in sex-changing fishes remains limited. Studies have shown that functional feminization can be achieved through estrogen diet in channel catfish, but hormone treatment cannot regulate male sex development in catfishes. Fish are excellent animal models for studying transdifferentiation during sex reversal. The project aims to identify genes/factors involved in gonadal transdifferentiation in catfish, tissue distribution and localization, and transient gene silencing to identify their functional roles in induced sex reversal.