A team of international researchers has identified a new sex hormone that plays a crucial role in stimulating ovulation. Researchers have identified secretoneurin, a neuropeptide derived from the secretogranin-2 protein, as a critical hormone that stimulates ovulation in zebrafish.
This finding has significant implications for fertility research withapplications in aquaculture and conservation. “Secretoneurin is an evolutionarily conserved peptide found in species ranging from ancient fish to humans,” explains Vance Trudeau, the lead researcherand Full Professor at uOttawa's Department of Biology.
“Using a novel biochemical method, we simultaneously measured the relationship between multiple hormones during the ovulatory cycle of female zebrafish. This allowed us to identify secretoneurin’s pivotal role in inducing ovulation.”
The study reveals the potential of secretoneurin as a powerful regulator of reproduction in fish, with possible implications for other vertebrates, including humans. "Two of my PhD students invented a biochemical method that allowed us to simultaneously measure the relationship between many known and novel hormones," says Professor Trudeau
The research team found that a single injection of secretoneurin caused ovulation in female zebrafish that were isolated from males and not in their normal ovulatorycycle. Further investigation revealed that secretoneurin rapidly and robustly activated key genes in the brain, pituitary, and ovaries that stimulate the process of ovulation.
“By demonstrating that secretoneurin stimulates ovulation, we’ve established that this novel hormone significantly impacts fish reproduction,” Professor Trudeau states. “This study is the first to show secretoneurin inducing ovulation in normal fish, strongly validating our earlier work with zebrafish carrying mutated peptide genes."
