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Might Gene Duplication and Neofunctionalization Contribute to the Sexual Lability Observed in Fish?

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journal contribution
posted on 2024-06-06, 03:30 authored by J Edgecombe, L Urban, Erica ToddErica Todd, NJ Gemmell
Sex determination and differentiation varies widely across vertebrates, but is most dramatically diverse in fishes. Among fishes sex reversal and sex change are observed in 41 teleost families spanning 7 orders. These sex-changing fish perhaps highlight better than any other system that sex determination is not the narrow and fixed construct we once thought, but a plastic trait that is better viewed as a reaction norm. However, while this stunning transformation is increasingly understood, a fundamental question arises, which is why some fish species have retained this inherent plasticity in sexual fate, while others have not? Here, we explore our current understanding of sex change in fish, some of the factors that permit and constrain sex reversal, and posit that gene duplication and neofunctionalization contribute to the sexual lability observed in fish.

History

Journal

Sexual Development

Volume

15

Pagination

122-133

Location

Switzerland

Open access

  • Yes

ISSN

1661-5425

eISSN

1661-5433

Language

en

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Issue

1

Publisher

S. Karger AG