New insights on lncRNAS involved in gonadal maturation of teleosts: basic knowledge and development of biotechnological strategies to delay puberty

• Grant number: 22/10421-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: October 01, 2022
• End date: May 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Fishery Resources and Fishery Engineering - Inland Water Fishery Resources
• Principal Investigator: Rafael Henrique Nóbrega
• Grantee: Rafael Takahiro Nakajima
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IBB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 21/06742-5 - New insights on gonadal signals (growth factors and lncRNAs) that regulate gonadal maturation in fish: basic knowledge and development of biotechnological strategies to delay puberty, AP.JP2

Abstract

The overarching goal of this research is to investigate new paracrine factors and indentify long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) that regulate SSC activity, and develop biotechnological strategies to delaypuberty in fish. Early sexual maturation of males is still one the major problems limiting the furtherdevelopment of aquaculture in the world. Sexual precocity is an undesirable trait in fish which iscorrelated with negative aspects such as reduced growth and lower feed conversion. In males, the onset of puberty is generally associated with a switch in SSC activity, from self-renewal to differentiation towards meiosis. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms controlling the switch in SSC activity is the basis for developing approaches to control precocious puberty in males. Focusing on new growth factors and lncRNAs, functional studies that combine in vivo approaches and gain-of-function ex vivo models will be employed. Functional studies will be evaluated with a combination of histomorphometric, biochemicaland molecular approaches. In this project, lambari (Astyanax altiparanae), a Neotropical model andpromising species for Brazilian aquaculture, and zebrafish will be used as experimental models. Based onthe knowledge acquired on the new gonadal factors, we propose to employ somatic gene transfer to delaythe start of puberty in fish. (AU)