Control of salmon pituitary hormone gene expression

Salmon pituitary polypeptide hormones play a vital role in all aspects of the fish life cycle which include somatic growth, sexual maturation and reproduction, spawning migration and environmental adaptation. Although the physiology of these hormones has been extensively studied, the molecular mechanisms controlling expression of the hormone genes are largely unknown. In the present communication, we will present some of our recent findings on the tissue specific expression of these hormones and the effect of steroids on gonadotropin gene expression.