Chinese and canadian biologists have found the fish stimulating sexual function an enzyme, working as a sex hormone. The discovery could lead to new treatments for infertility in men. The study is published in the journal Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences.
Canadian biologists from the University of Ottawa together with their colleagues from the Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences conducted experiments on the edit genes in zebrafish, observing how gene mutations affect the reproductive function of fishes and the interaction of males and females during mating, RIA “Novosti”.
In one experiment, scientists noticed that the change by a specific gene mutation peptide secretogranin-2 led to the fact that the males ceased to pay attention to the females and not fertilized emitted by the females eggs. The fish looked perfectly healthy.
Usually in a few minutes after the first meeting, the male begins to chase the female in courtship ritual, and soon the female releases her eggs into the water and the male fertilizes them immediately. But genetically modified pairs fertilization occurred only in one case out of ten.
Secretogranin-2 is a large protein that is important for the normal functioning of brain cells and other cells, which secrete hormones to control body functions such as growth and reproduction. It is present not only in fish but also in other animals and humans.
“However, this protein can be divided into pieces by special enzymes, and we found that one small fragment, called a peptide secretoneurin important for stimulation of sexual function” – presented in the press release words of the head of research Vance Trudeau (Trudeau Vance), Professor of neuroendocrinology of the University of Ottawa.
By a single injection of peptide secretoneurin scientists were able to partially restore sexual function in genetically modified fish. The authors suggest that the peptide acts on cells in the brain and pituitary, increasing the release of hormones. According to them, this can be considered as preliminary evidence that mutation secretogranin-2 lead to disruption of sexual behavior in animals in General, and with the help of secretoneurin performing the function of sex hormone, this situation can be corrected.
“We found new genes that regulate the reproduction, and the peptide secretoneurin itself is a new hormone, says Trudeau. Secretoneurin produced by the fish, very similar to that discovered in other animals and man”.
In the future, scientists plan to use genetically modified zebrafish as a laboratory model to search for otherx factors related to reproductive functions, whether increasing spawning from the cultivated fish species or search for new methods of treatment of human infertility.
Informed doctor of medical science, dietician Alexey Kovalkov has called the most important for men products.
