A review of sex determination and searches for sex-specific markers in sturgeon

The availability of monosex populations of caviar-producing female sturgeon would considerably enhance the economic viability of domestic caviar production systems. However, it is not possible to distinguish males from females by morphological characters at larval, juvenile and even adult stages. The mechanism of sex determination in sturgeons is poorly understood, and to date no sex-specific markers in sturgeon have been reported. This review concentrates on the methodologies used to elucidate the mode of sex determination in sturgeon species and provides information on the molecular tools used to determine genetic sex markers.