Zebrafish - sexual differentiation

Zebrafish (Danio rerio) is widely used in different areas of biology; however, the exact mechanisms of sexual determination and differentiation in this important model species are not yet understood. The overall objective of the current project is to better understand the molecular pathways involved in sex development in zebrafish using genome-wide approaches. The working hypothesis is that sexual determination in zebrafish involves a polygenic component, in addition to the influence of environmental factors, and that therefore a genome-wide analysis will provide comprehensive insights into the genes and mechanisms involved. Representational difference analysis is used to analyze the genetic differences possibly existing between males and females. Novel high-throughput shotgun proteomics methods (global and “targeted” approaches) are used to characterize the proteome of zebrafish gonads at different developmental stages. Obtained data will provide the information on the interactions of different factors and signaling networks involved in the establishment of sex in zebrafish.

Figure 1	Transgenic vas::EGFP zebrafish larvae at 9 dpf. EGFP fluorescence can be observed in the primordial germ cells migrating to the future gonad location.
Figure 2	Adult zebrafish
Figure 3	Nanospray source interfaced with OrbiTrap mass spectrometer