Neuropeptide B mediates female sexual receptivity in medaka fish, acting in a female-specific but reversible manner

Hiraki-Kajiyama, T.; Yamashita, J.; Yokoyama, K.; Hosono, K.; Kawabata-Sakata, Y.; Kikuchi, Y.; Miyazoe, D.; Ansai, S.; Kinoshita, M.; Nagahama, Y.; Okubo, K.

doi:10.1101/573212

bioRxiv · 10.1101/573212

Neuropeptide B mediates female sexual receptivity in medaka fish, acting in a female-specific but reversible manner

Hiraki-Kajiyama, T.·Yamashita, J.·Yokoyama, K.·Hosono, K.·Kawabata-Sakata, Y.·Kikuchi, Y.·Miyazoe, D.·Ansai, S.·Kinoshita, M.·Nagahama, Y.·Okubo, K.

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Abstract

Male and female animals display innate sex-specific mating behaviors. Among vertebrates, teleosts are unique in that altering the adult sex steroid milieu can reverse sex-typical mating behaviors, suggesting sexual lability of their brains. In the teleost medaka, neuropeptide B (NPB) is expressed female-specifically in the brain nuclei implicated in mating behavior. Here, we demonstrate that NPB is a direct mediator of estrogen action on female mating behavior, acting in a female-specific but reversible manner. Analysis of regulatory mechanisms revealed that the female-specific expression of NPB is dependent on direct transcriptional activation by estrogen via an estrogen-responsive element and is reversed in response to changes in the adult sex steroid milieu. Behavioral studies of NPB knockouts revealed that female-specific NBP mediates female receptivity to male courtship. The female-specific NPB signaling identified herein is presumably a critical element of the neural circuitry underlying sexual dimorphism and lability of mating behaviors in teleosts.

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Hiraki-Kajiyama, T., Yamashita, J., Yokoyama, K., Hosono, K., Kawabata-Sakata, Y., Kikuchi, Y., Miyazoe, D., Ansai, S., Kinoshita, M., Nagahama, Y., Okubo, K.. 2019-03-11. Neuropeptide B mediates female sexual receptivity in medaka fish, acting in a female-specific but reversible manner. https://doi.org/10.1101/573212

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