Vitellogenin from female and estradiol-stimulated male river lampreys (Lampetra fluviatilis L.)

The influence of estradiol-17β (E2) on vitellogenesis is well documented for a number of oviparous craniates. We have examined the role that estradiol-17β plays in the induction and regulation of vitellogenin synthesis in the maturing European river lamprey, Lampetra fluviatilis. In both females and males the estradiol-17β concentrations in the plasma reached comparable maximum values in March, only a few weeks before spawning. Throughout the spawning run, the vitellogenin titer in the blood of females remains rather constant while the ovary volume increases. In contrast, we never found circulating VTG in untreated male lampreys. The synthesis and secretion of the yolk precursor molecule ca…