ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Endocrinol.
Sec. Experimental Endocrinology
Sex-and stage-dependent expression of Gonadal soma-derived factor (gsdf) paralogues reveals functional and evolutionary divergence in European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax)
Provisionally accepted
- 1Instituto de Acuicultura Torre de la Sal - CSIC, Torre la Sal, Castellón, Spain
- 2Universidad CEU San Pablo Facultad de Medicina, Alcorcón, Spain
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The gonadal soma-derived factor (Gsdf) is a member of the Transforming Growth Factor-β (TGF-β) superfamily, with key roles in teleost reproduction, particularly in males. Previously considered teleost-specific, its presence in non-teleost vertebrates indicates a more ancient evolutionary origin. It is still classified as an orphan ligand with uncharacterized signalling pathways, and its evolution, regulatory mechanisms, and functional divergence remain unclear. Here, we present a comprehensive characterization of two gsdf paralogues in European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax), integrating phylogenetic, synteny, transcriptional regulation, and protein localization analyses, together with stage-specific gene expression profiling during ontogeny, puberty onset and adult reproductive cycle. Phylogenetic reconstruction of 31 species revealed that gsdf duplications are independent, lineage-specific events unrelated to the teleost-specific whole genome duplication (3R). Synteny analyses showed that gsdf1 retains strong conservation with ancestral loci, whereas gsdf2 resides in a distinct but conserved genomic context, suggesting complex rearrangement. Comparative promoter analysis identified conserved transcription factor binding sites, supporting a shared regulatory framework across teleosts. Expression profiling revealed that both paralogues are gonad-enriched, expressed from early gonadal differentiation, and downregulated at the onset of precocious male puberty. In adults, gsdf1 was predominantly expressed in males, especially during pre-meiotic stages, while gsdf2 was more abundant in females, particularly in follicular cells during pre-vitellogenesis. Immunolocalization confirmed stage-and sex-specific presence in Sertoli and follicular cells, indicating local action. These results support the subfunctionalization of gsdf paralogues in sea bass, with sex-specific partitioning of reproductive roles, and provide new insight into the evolutionary plasticity of gonad-related genes in teleosts.
Keywords: evolution, Gametogenesis, Gene Duplication, Gonadal factors, Reproduction, teleost
Received: 02 Jan 2026; Accepted: 09 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Mascoli, Zapater, Pizarro-Gomez and Gómez. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Ana Gómez
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