Coho ovarian tissue response to gonadotropins

The production of a viable vertebrate ovum (oogenesis) is a complex process during which maternal provisions support growth and development of the egg cell (oocyte) and surrounding somatic cell layers, together known as the ovarian follicle. Vertebrate sexual maturity is reached at the onset of puberty, demarcated by the shift of late primary growth ovarian follicles (i.e., early and late perinucleolar stages [EPN, LPN]) into early secondary growth (i.e., early cortical alveolus stage [ECA]). Gonadotropin (follicle stimulating hormone [FSH], luteinizing hormone [LH]) regulation of oogenesis after puberty has been well studied. Hormonal regulation of stages connected with the transition into puberty is less understood. Our research aimed to determine the regulatory role of gonadotropins at the primary and early secondary growth stages of oogenesis. Selected reaction monitoring (SRM) proteomics identified differentially expressed proteins in coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) ovarian fragments exposed to FSH and LH.