Exosomes-mediated molecular mechanisms underlying the transformation of ovarian tissue into a functional placental analogue in black rockfish (Sebastes schlegelii)
- 1Key Laboratory of Mariculture, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, Shandong 266003, China
- 2Hainan Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Tropical Marine Fishery Resources, Sanya, Hainan 572022, China
- 3Yazhou Bay Innovation Institute, Hainan Tropical Ocean University, Sanya, Hainan 572024, China
Abstract
Viviparity has independently evolved multiple times in teleosts, leading to diverse modes of maternal nutrient provisioning. In black rockfish (Sebastes schlegelii), embryos gain dry weight during gestation, supported by a placental connection that facilitates maternal-fetal nutrient transfer. Although prior studies have outlined the morphology and evolutionary convergence of the black rockfish placental analogue, its full architecture and underlying molecular mechanisms remain unresolved. Here, we show that the maternal component of the placental analogue, derived from ovarian follicular tissue, consists of a vascularized outer layer and a glandularized inner layer, organized into a sac-like structure. At the molecular level, this transformation involves epithelial-mesenchymal interactions, angiogenesis, and immune responses. We observed exosome-like structures surrounding the placental analogue and isolated ovarian exosomes for characterization. These findings suggest active crosstalk between developing embryos and the maternal ovary, which may underlie the observed changes. Subsequent proteomic and transcriptomic analyses revealed that these exosomes carry diverse functional cargos, including hepatocyte growth factor b (hgfb) mRNA. Ovarian cells efficiently internalize exosomes, upregulating hgfb mRNA and protein expression and secretion, which in turn reprograms gene expression and promotes angiogenesis-related placentation. Together, these results elucidate the molecular underpinnings of ovarian placentation in black rockfish and offer valuable perspectives on the oviparity-to-viviparity transition in fish evolution.
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BibTeX
@article{zheng2026exosomesmediated,
title = {{Exosomes-mediated molecular mechanisms underlying the transformation of ovarian tissue into a functional placental analogue in black rockfish (Sebastes schlegelii)}},
author = {Bing-Yan Zheng and Xiao-Jie Wang and Hai-Shen Wen and Yun Li and Jian-Shuang Li and Xin-Lin Yang and Li-Kang Lyu and Xin Qi},
journal = {Zoological Research},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2026.021},
url = {https://doi.org/10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2026.021},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Exosomes-mediated molecular mechanisms underlying the transformation of ovarian tissue into a functional placental analogue in black rockfish (Sebastes schlegelii)
AU - Bing-Yan Zheng
AU - Xiao-Jie Wang
AU - Hai-Shen Wen
AU - Yun Li
AU - Jian-Shuang Li
AU - Xin-Lin Yang
AU - Li-Kang Lyu
AU - Xin Qi
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/18
JO - Zoological Research
DO - 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2026.021
UR - https://doi.org/10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2026.021
AB - Viviparity has independently evolved multiple times in teleosts, leading to diverse modes of maternal nutrient provisioning. In black rockfish (Sebastes schlegelii), embryos gain dry weight during gestation, supported by a placental connection that facilitates maternal-fetal nutrient transfer. Although prior studies have outlined the morphology and evolutionary convergence of the black rockfish placental analogue, its full architecture and underlying molecular mechanisms remain unresolved. Here, we show that the maternal component of the placental analogue, derived from ovarian follicular tissue, consists of a vascularized outer layer and a glandularized inner layer, organized into a sac-like structure. At the molecular level, this transformation involves epithelial-mesenchymal interactions, angiogenesis, and immune responses. We observed exosome-like structures surrounding the placental analogue and isolated ovarian exosomes for characterization. These findings suggest active crosstalk between developing embryos and the maternal ovary, which may underlie the observed changes. Subsequent proteomic and transcriptomic analyses revealed that these exosomes carry diverse functional cargos, including hepatocyte growth factor b (hgfb) mRNA. Ovarian cells efficiently internalize exosomes, upregulating hgfb mRNA and protein expression and secretion, which in turn reprograms gene expression and promotes angiogenesis-related placentation. Together, these results elucidate the molecular underpinnings of ovarian placentation in black rockfish and offer valuable perspectives on the oviparity-to-viviparity transition in fish evolution.
SN - 2095-8137
ER -