Genetic structure of a Japanese allotetraploid loach of the genus Cobitis (Osteichthyes, Cobitidae).

The Japanese allotetraploid spined loach of the genus Cobitis "yamato complex" sensu SAITOH et al. (2000), distributed in Western Japan, originated from hybridization between C. biwae on the maternal side and C. striata (Kyushu form) on the paternal side. Mitochondrial (mt) and nuclear DNA were analyzed in order to determine the genetic relationships among 15 populations spanning the entire range of the yamato complex. PCR-RFLP analysis of the ND1 mtDNA gene indicated that the yamato complex contains two divergent types of mtDNA: type A, consisting of one haplotype observed only in the Fukagawa River and type B consisting of 12 haplotypes found in the entire area. Phylogenetic analysis based on the cytochrome b mtDNA gene corroborated RFLP analysis, and indicated that type A was closely related to a different species, C. biwae (Kochi group) and C. striata (large race), rather than type B. The results of RAPD analysis on the Fukagawa River individuals, where types A and B sympatrically existed suggested that no reproductive isolation occurs between them. The existence of two distinct mtDNA types within the yamato complex suggest either multiple maternal origin at the speciation (tetraploidization) time or mtDNA introgression from other species afterwards.

Endocrine control of diurnal oocyte maturation in the kyusen wrasse, Halichoeres poecilopterus.

The present study examined diurnal cycles of oocyte development and maturation in the kyusen wrasse, Halichoeres poecilopterus, and investigated the sensitivity of oocytes to maturation-inducing hormone (MIH) and gonadotropic hormone (GTH). Female fish were sampled at fixed intervals throughout the day, revealing that final oocyte maturation and ovulation were completed by 6:00 hr, and that spawning occurred daily between 6:00 and 9:00 hr. In vitro experiments showed that the steroids 17,20beta-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (17,20beta-P) and 17,20beta,21-trihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (20beta-S) were equally potent and highly effective inducers of germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) in kyusen wrasse oocytes. Additionally, circulating levels of 17,20beta-P and 20beta-S increased around the time of GVBD and ovulation, suggesting that 17,20beta-P and 20beta-S act as MIHs in the kyusen wrasse. Moreover, in vitro experiments clearly showed that kyusen wrasse oocytes had a daily developmental cycle of GTH and MIH sensitivity, and that oocytes that completed vitellogenesis acquired GTH-induced maturational competence. An endogenous GTH surge likely occurs between 12:00 and 15:00 hr, and this daily pre-maturational GTH surge probably controls the diurnal maturation cycles of kyusen wrasse oocytes.