Role of sex steroids in gonadal differentiation of the mussel Choromytilus chorus (Bivalvia Mytilidae) (Molina 1782)

Abstract

In Chile, the species Choromytilus chorus stands out for its ecological and economic importance. This mussel has a very particular condition in the colour of the gonad, being cream-yellow colour the male gonad and dark brown the female which is hardly desired by the consumers. In this context, the aim of this research is to determine the role that sex steroids have in gonadal differentiation of the mussel C. chorus. For this, juveniles with sizes 15–22 mm were selected, which were subjected to acute exposure in the form of bath for 60 days to four treatments: T1: dihydrotestosterone (DHT); T2: 17β-estradiol (E2), T3: fadrozole (F) and T4: DHT-F (DF), plus a control without chemicals. Each treatment as well as control included three replicates with 90 individuals each. The mussels undergoing treatment with E2 had a sex ratio (male:female) of 0.47 compared to 1:1 in the control group. In contrast, in the groups treated with DHT, F and DF the sex ratio changed to 2.0, 1.60 and 1.70 respectively. In the fertilization trials, all the mussels produced functional gametes, as they were able to generate gametes that were developed to morula, and veliger larva. Nevertheless, it should be noted that the size of oocytes from the group exposed to estradiol (61.12 ± 2.40 μm) was significantly higher than in other groups. These results support the hypothesis that sex steroids would be involved in sexual differentiation of marine bivalves.