{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]],"date-time":"2026-09-25T05:00:45Z","timestamp":1790312445502,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":38,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,12]],"date-time":"2026-09-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789171200000},"content-version":"am","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/pages\/standard-publication-reuse-rights"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001809","name":"National Natural Science Foundation of China","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["31972770"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["31972770"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001809","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100010203","name":"Agriculture Research System of China","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100010203","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003453","name":"Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["2022A1515011166"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2022A1515011166"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003453","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003453","name":"Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["2025A1515010768"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2025A1515010768"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003453","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Urotensin II (UII) is a conserved vasoactive neuropeptide secreted by the caudal neurosecretory system of bony fish, yet its reproductive functions in teleost remain poorly defined. Here, we investigated the regulatory role of UII in the brain\u2013pituitary\u2013gonadal axis of genetically improved farmed tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) using acute intraperitoneal injection, receptor antagonism with urantide, and sustained release via poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) microspheres. Acute tUII administration significantly up-regulated mRNA expressions of gnrh1\/2\/3 in the brain, fsh\u03b2, lh\u03b2, and gth\u03b1 in the pituitary, and gonadal receptors (fshr, lhr), with dose-dependent biphasic responses. These stimulatory effects were abolished by urantide, confirming UT receptor\u2013mediated signaling. Long-term delivery of tUII resulted in persistent activation of hypothalamic and pituitary genes, induction of steroidogenic and receptor genes in gonads, and significant elevation of serum estradiol in females and testosterone in males. Histological analyses further revealed accelerated spermatogenesis and oocyte maturation in tUII-treated groups. Moreover, UII up-regulated sex-differentiation genes, including dmrt1 in testis and foxl2 in ovaries, indicating its dual involvement in gonadal development and sexual differentiation. Together, these findings identify UII as a novel upstream regulator of tilapia reproductive axis and a potential target for manipulating puberty, gonadal maturation, and sex differentiation in aquaculture.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1093\/biolre\/ioag197","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,11]],"date-time":"2026-09-11T11:49:54Z","timestamp":1789127394000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["In vivo evidence for urotensin II as a regulator of reproduction in GIFT tilapia (\n                    <i>Oreochromis niloticus<\/i>\n                    )"],"prefix":"10.1093","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9807-4459","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ying","family":"Bai","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Institute of Aquatic Economic Animals and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Aquatic Economic Animals, Sun Yat-sen University , Guangzhou ,","place":["China"]},{"name":"Hubei Key Laboratory of Three Gorges Project for Conservation of Fishes , Chinese Sturgeon Research Institute, China Three Gorges Corporation, Yichang ,","place":["China"]},{"name":"Chinese Sturgeon Research Institute, China Three Gorges Corporation , Yichang ,","place":["China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xiaozheng","family":"Yu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Institute of Aquatic Economic Animals and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Aquatic Economic Animals, Sun Yat-sen University , Guangzhou ,","place":["China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jiahui","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Institute of Aquatic Economic Animals and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Aquatic Economic Animals, Sun Yat-sen University , Guangzhou ,","place":["China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yang","family":"Yu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Institute of Aquatic Economic Animals and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Aquatic Economic Animals, Sun Yat-sen University , Guangzhou ,","place":["China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jinfeng","family":"Huang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Institute of Aquatic Economic Animals and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Aquatic Economic Animals, Sun Yat-sen University , Guangzhou ,","place":["China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wensheng","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Institute of Aquatic Economic Animals and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Aquatic Economic Animals, Sun Yat-sen University , Guangzhou ,","place":["China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Caiyun","family":"Sun","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Institute of Aquatic Economic Animals and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Aquatic Economic Animals, Sun Yat-sen University , Guangzhou ,","place":["China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"286","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026092500420973700_ref1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"5021","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.77.8.5021","article-title":"Urotensin II: a somatostatin-like peptide in the caudal neurosecretory system of fishes","volume":"77","author":"Pearson","year":"1980","journal-title":"Proc Natl Acad Sci USA"},{"key":"2026092500420973700_ref2","first-page":"154","article-title":"The caudal neurosecretory system: a still enigmatic second neuroendocrine complex in fish","volume":"115","author":"Rousseau","year":"2025","journal-title":"Neuroendocrinology"},{"key":"2026092500420973700_ref3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"114866","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ygcen.2025.114866","article-title":"Characterization and expression of urotensin1 and urotensin2 genes in the caudal neurosecretory system of the small-spotted catshark Scyliorhinus canicula","volume":"376","author":"Bichon","year":"2026","journal-title":"Gen Comp Endocrinol"},{"key":"2026092500420973700_ref4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"53","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1749-6632.2010.05514.x","article-title":"Urotensin II, from fish to human","volume":"1200","author":"Vaudry","year":"2010","journal-title":"Ann N Y Acad Sci"},{"key":"2026092500420973700_ref5","article-title":"Update on the urotensinergic system: new trends in receptor localization, activation, and drug 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Urotensin II, urotensin II-related peptide, and their receptor: from structure to function","volume":"67","author":"Vaudry","year":"2015","journal-title":"Pharmacol Rev"},{"key":"2026092500420973700_ref34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2733","DOI":"10.1007\/s00227-013-2266-9","article-title":"Dynamics of gonadosomatic index of fish with indeterminate fecundity between subsequent egg batches: application to Japanese anchovy Engraulis japonicus under captive conditions","volume":"160","author":"Yoneda","year":"2013","journal-title":"Mar Biol"},{"key":"2026092500420973700_ref35","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1016\/j.addr.2023.114857","article-title":"Long-acting PLGA microspheres: advances in excipient and product analysis toward improved product understanding [J]","volume":"198","author":"Wan","year":"2023","journal-title":"Adv Drug Deliv Rev"},{"key":"2026092500420973700_ref36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e1011210","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pgen.1011210","article-title":"Dmrt1 is the only male pathway gene tested indispensable for sex determination and functional testis development in tilapia","volume":"20","author":"Qi","year":"2024","journal-title":"PLoS Genet"},{"key":"2026092500420973700_ref37","first-page":"101243","article-title":"Transcription factors foxl2 and foxl3 regulate cyp19a1a and cyp11b in orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides)","volume":"25","author":"Zhang","year":"2022","journal-title":"Aquacult Rep"},{"key":"2026092500420973700_ref38","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"101830","DOI":"10.1016\/j.genrep.2023.101830","article-title":"Molecular characterization and expression profiling of foxl2 in zig-zag eel (Mastacembelus armatus)","volume":"33","author":"Zhou","year":"2023","journal-title":"Gene Rep"}],"container-title":["Biology of Reproduction"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/biolreprod\/advance-article-pdf\/doi\/10.1093\/biolre\/ioag197\/71046391\/ioag197.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"am","intended-application":"syndication"},{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/biolreprod\/advance-article-pdf\/doi\/10.1093\/biolre\/ioag197\/71046391\/ioag197.pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]],"date-time":"2026-09-25T04:42:31Z","timestamp":1790311351000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/biolreprod\/advance-article\/doi\/10.1093\/biolre\/ioag197\/8792912"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,12]]},"references-count":38,"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/biolre\/ioag197","relation":{},"ISSN":["0006-3363","1529-7268"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0006-3363","type":"print"},{"value":"1529-7268","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,12]]},"article-number":"ioag197"}}