The Mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis in the Bay of Naples: New Insights on Oogenic Cycle and Its Hormonal Control

The aim of the present article was to investigate the oogenic cycle of Mytilus galloprovincialis sampled in the Bay of Naples, and to immunolocalize 3β‐hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β‐HSD), 17β‐hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17β‐HSD), and P450 aromatase, enzymes involved in the synthesis of two sex hormones: testosterone and 17β‐estradiol. We demonstrate that the oogenic cycle starts in late summer‐early fall and continues in early winter when...