DNA Methylation of the Gonadal Aromatase (cyp19a) Promoter Is Involved in Temperature-Dependent Sex Ratio Shifts in the European Sea Bass

摘要: Sex ratio shifts in response to temperature are common fish and reptiles. However, the mechanism linking during early development sex ratios has remained elusive. We show European sea bass (sb), a which effects on maximal before gonads form, that juvenile males have double DNA methylation levels of females promoter gonadal aromatase (cyp19a), enzyme converts androgens into estrogens. Exposure high increased cyp19a females, indicating induced-masculinization involves methylation-mediated control gene expression, with an observed inverse relationship between expression. Although different CpGs within sb exhibited sensitivity temperature, we promoter, occurs but not brain, is generalized effect temperature. Importantly, these were also sexually undifferentiated altered by estrogen treatment. Thus, cause lower expression temperature-masculinized fish. In vitro, induced suppressed ability SF-1 Foxl2 stimulate transcription. Finally, CpG differentially methylated adjacent Sox transcription factor binding site conserved across species. may be essential component long-sought-after connecting environmental vertebrate species temperature-dependent determination.