Under aquaculture conditions, Japanese eels (Anguilla japonica) produce a high percentage of males. However, females gain higher body weight and have better commercial value than males, and, therefore, a high female ratio is required in eel aquaculture. In this study, we examined the effects of isoflavones, genistein, and daidzein on sex differentiation and sex-specific genes of eels. To investigate the effects of these phytoestrogens on the gonadal sex, we explored the feminizing effects of soy isoflavones, genistein, and daidzein in a dose-dependent manner. The results showed that genistein induced feminization more efficiently than daidzein. To identify the molecular mechanisms of sex-specific genes, we performed a comprehensive expression analysis by quantitative real-time PCR and RNA sequencing. Phenotypic males and females were produced by feeding elvers a normal diet or an estradiol-17β- or genistein-treated diet for 45 days. The results showed that female-specific genes were up-regulated and male-specific genes were down-regulated in the gonads, suggesting that genistein induces feminization by altering the molecular pathways responsible for eel sex differentiation.
Keywords: Japanese eel; feminization; genistein; phytoestrogen; sex differentiation; soy isoflavone.