Measures to prevent pregnancy for round mouth fish

In addition to providing an overview of the evolution of estrogen receptors, the study of a group of scholars at the University of California, San Diego may lead to a way to prevent conception of female round fish. This non-jaw-like fish is considered a massively invasive species in America's Great Lake. This is especially important for the Great Lake area, where round mouth fish are eating salmon, sturgeon and some other fish.

Professor Michael E. Baker at the University of California said: 'Since the marine fish mouth has been introduced into Big Lake, the fishing industry has been severely destroyed. Therefore, the control of these populations attracted a lot of attention. Our study led to a method of preventing pregnancy for female round fish, thus controlling the reproduction of this fish. ' The results of this study are published on PloS ONE on June 25.

Mouth of round mouth fish. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Round-mouth fish evolved about 450 million years ago, before sharks appeared. Unlike sharks, fish and terrestrial vertebrates, round mouth fish have no jaws. They eat other fish by clinging and sucking on the prey. The consumption of too many fish species has eliminated the natural rival of the American herring, another species is growing massively in Big Lake. American herring populations explode in large numbers, causing negative effects on many other fish species.

In part of the program to understand the evolution of steroid hormone signaling, researchers at the University of California describe the estrogen connection site on the estrogen receptor of the round mouth fish. To do this, Baker joined David Chang, a University of California biology student and Charlie Chandsawangbhuwana, a graduate student in biotechnology at Jacobs School of Engineering at the University of California, to develop a 3-D model. describes the estrogen receptor structure of round mouth fish.

The active estrogen in round-mouth fish remains a mystery, although recent research in this area suggests that the estrogen of the round-mouth fish contains a 15alpha-hydroxyl group, whereas the animal's estrogen does not. This model revealed the unique interaction between 15alpha-hydroxy-estradiol and an amino acid called methionine. Such interaction is found only in the round mouth estrogen receptor.

Baker said: 'This unique interaction suggests that there are compounds that bind to the round mouth estrogen receptor but are not attached to the estrogen receptor of other animals.' He also added that some of these compounds may interfere with estrogenic activity and have the effect of preventing pregnancy in children. A measure of control of the number of round mouth fish can be developed from this facility.