Androgen synthesis in the silverside Odontesthes bonariensis
Though it is generally accepted that steroids are able to affect the sex ratio in many teleost species, the role of androgens in the sex determination/differentiation process in fish species with temperature-dependent sex determination systems (TSD) has not been established. We investigated the androgen synthesis capacity of the gonads, kidneys and liver of immature and adult pejerrey Odontesthes bonariensis, a species with strong TSD, and observed that 11-oxygenated androgens are mainly produced by the testis, and in some extent by the kidneys. We were not able to detect 11-oxygenated androgens in the ovaries and liver. This information lead us to study the androgen potentiality in the gonads and trunks of pejerrey during the TSD period.