Abstract
Sterility in hybrid animals is widely known to be due to a cytological mechanism of aberrant homologous chromosome pairing during meiosis in hybrid germ cells. In this study, the gametes of four marine fish species belonging to the Sciaenid family were artificially fertilized, and germ cell development was examined at the cellular and molecular levels. One of the intergeneric hybrids had gonads that were testis-like in structure, small in size, and lacked germ cells. Specification of primordial germ cells (PGCs) and their migration toward genital ridges occurred normally in hybrid embryos, but these PGCs did not proliferate in the hybrid gonads. By germ cell transplantation assay, we showed that the gonadal microenvironment in hybrid recipients produced functional donor-derived gametes, suggesting that the germ cell-less phenotype was caused by cell autonomous proliferative defects of hybrid PGCs. This is the first evidence of mitotic arrest of germ cells causing hybrid sterility in animals.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.