Dynamic methylation pattern of cyp19a1a core promoter during zebrafish ovarian folliculogenesis

The field of cytochrome P450 (P450) research has developed considerably over the past 20 years, and many important papers on the roles of P450s in chemical toxicology have appeared in Chemical Research in Toxicology. Today, our basic understanding of many of the human P450s is relatively well-established, in terms of the details of the individual genes, sequences, and basic catalytic mechanisms. Crystal structures of several of the major human P450s are now in hand. The animal P450s are still important in the context of metabolism and safety testing. Many well-defined examples exist for roles of P450s in decreasing the adverse effects of drugs through biotransformation, and an equally interesting field of investigation is the bioactivation of chemicals, including drugs. Unresolved problems include the characterization of the minor "orphan" P450s, ligand cooperativity and kinetic complexity of several P450s, the prediction of metabolism, the overall contribution of bioactivation to drug idiosyncratic problems, the extrapolation of animal test results to humans in drug development, and the contribution of genetic variation in human P450s to cancer incidence.

One of the major objectives of the aquaculture industry is the production of a large number of viable eggs with high survival. Major achievements have been made in recent years in improving protocols for higher efficiency of egg production and viability of progeny. Main gaps remain, however, in understanding the dynamic processes associated with oogenesis, the formation of an egg, from the time that germ cells turn into oogonia, until the release of ova during spawning in teleosts. Recent studies on primordial germ-cells, yolk protein precursors and their processing within the developing oocyte, the deposition of vitamins in eggs, structure and function of egg envelopes and oocyte maturation processes, further reveal the complexity of oogenesis. Moreover, numerous circulating endocrine and locally-acting paracrine and autocrine factors regulate the various stages of oocyte development and maturation. Though it is clear that the major regulators during vitellogenesis and oocyte maturation are the pituitary gonadotropins (LH and FSH) and sex steroids, the picture emerging from recent studies is of complex hormonal cross-talk at all stages between the developing oocyte and its surrounding follicle layers to ensure coordination of the various processes that are involved in the production of a fertilizable egg. In this review we aim at highlighting recent advances on teleost fish oocyte differentiation, maturation and ovulation, including those involved in the degeneration and reabsorption of ovarian follicles (atresia). The role of blood-borne and local ovarian factors in the regulation of the key steps of development reveal new aspects associated with egg formation. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.