scholarly journals Transcriptome sequencing and screening of genes related to sex determination of Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiuqin Hu ◽  
Jinkai Zhu ◽  
Guanjie Ji ◽  
Zhen Wang ◽  
Jie Xin
Keyword(s):  
Sex Determination ◽  
Transcriptome Sequencing ◽  
Regulatory Networks ◽  
High Throughput Sequencing ◽  
Sex Differentiation ◽  
Sugar Metabolism ◽  
Medicinal Uses ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Hormone Synthesis ◽  
Trichosanthes Kirilowii

AbstractTrichosanthes kirilowii Maxim. (TK) is a dioecious plant in the Cucurbitaceae for which different sexes have separate medicinal uses. In order to study the genes related to sex determination, transcriptome sequencing was performed on flower buds and leaves of male and female plants using the high-throughput sequencing technology. A total of 145,975 unigenes and 7110 DEGs were obtained. There were 6776 DEGs annotated to 1234 GO terms and enriched to 18 functional groups, including five biological processes related to sugar metabolism. KEGG pathway analysis indicated genes involved in hormone transduction, hormone synthesis and carbohydrate metabolism. The sex determination genes of TK are different from known sex determination mechanisms (ACS11, ACS7(2), WIP1). Many DEGs of TK are involved in reproductive organ formation, hormone signal transduction and regulatory networks. In combination with the previous study of sex differentiation of Cucurbitaceae, the results of GO, KEGG and the expression of related genes in male and female plants, 18 candidate genes for sex determining of TK were screened from 151 hormone-related differentially expressed genes. The genes included MYB80, MYB108 and MYB21 of the MYB family, CER1, CBL, ABCB199, SERK1 and HSP81-3. The results provide a foundation for the study of sex differentiation in TK.

scholarly journals Identification of sex differentiation-related microRNA and long non-coding RNA in Takifugu rubripes gonads

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongwei Yan ◽  
Qi Liu ◽  
Jieming Jiang ◽  
Xufang Shen ◽  
Lei Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Determination ◽  
High Throughput Sequencing ◽  
Sex Differentiation ◽  
Mature Mirnas ◽  
Takifugu Rubripes ◽  
Sequencing Technology ◽  
Non Coding Rna ◽  
Differentially Expressed Mirnas ◽  
Tiger Pufferfish ◽  
Long Non Coding Rna

AbstractAlthough sex determination and differentiation are key developmental processes in animals, the involvement of non-coding RNA in the regulation of this process is still not clarified. The tiger pufferfish (Takifugu rubripes) is one of the most economically important marine cultured species in Asia, but analyses of miRNA and long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) at early sex differentiation stages have not been conducted yet. In our study, high-throughput sequencing technology was used to sequence transcriptome libraries from undifferentiated gonads of T. rubripes. In total, 231 (107 conserved, and 124 novel) miRNAs were obtained, while 2774 (523 conserved, and 2251 novel) lncRNAs were identified. Of these, several miRNAs and lncRNAs were predicted to be the regulators of the expression of sex-related genes (including fru-miR-15b/foxl2, novel-167, novel-318, and novel-538/dmrt1, novel-548/amh, lnc_000338, lnc_000690, lnc_000370, XLOC_021951, and XR_965485.1/gsdf). Analysis of differentially expressed miRNAs and lncRNAs showed that three mature miRNAs up-regulated and five mature miRNAs were down-regulated in male gonads compared to female gonads, while 79 lncRNAs were up-regulated and 51 were down-regulated. These findings could highlight a group of interesting miRNAs and lncRNAs for future studies and may reveal new insights into the function of miRNAs and lncRNAs in sex determination and differentiation.

scholarly journals Transcriptome sequencing and screening of genes related to sex determination of Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (10) ◽  
pp. e0239230
Author(s):  
Xiuqin Hu ◽  
Zhenyang Liao ◽  
Bo Zhang ◽  
JingJing Yue ◽  
Zhen Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Determination ◽  
Transcriptome Sequencing ◽  
Trichosanthes Kirilowii

scholarly journals Gonadal transcriptomes associated with sex phenotypes provide potential male and female candidate genes of sex determination or early differentiation in Crassostrea gigas, a sequential hermaphrodite mollusc

BMC Genomics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Coralie Broquard ◽  
Suwansa-ard Saowaros ◽  
Mélanie Lepoittevin ◽  
Lionel Degremont ◽  
Jean-Baptiste Lamy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Sex Determination ◽  
Crassostrea Gigas ◽  
Time Window ◽  
Sex Differentiation ◽  
Expression Patterns ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Female Candidate ◽  
The Future ◽  
Sequential Hermaphrodite

Abstract Background In the animal kingdom, mollusca is an important phylum of the Lophotrochozoa. However, few studies have investigated the molecular cascade of sex determination/early gonadal differentiation within this phylum. The oyster Crassostrea gigas is a sequential irregular hermaphrodite mollusc of economic, physiological and phylogenetic importance. Although some studies identified genes of its sex-determining/−differentiating pathway, this particular topic remains to be further deepened, in particular with regard to the expression patterns. Indeed, these patterns need to cover the entire period of sex lability and have to be associated to future sex phenotypes, usually impossible to establish in this sequential hermaphrodite. This is why we performed a gonadal RNA-Seq analysis of diploid male and female oysters that have not changed sex for 4 years, sampled during the entire time-window of sex determination/early sex differentiation (stages 0 and 3 of the gametogenetic cycle). This individual long-term monitoring gave us the opportunity to explain the molecular expression patterns in the light of the most statistically likely future sex of each oyster. Results The differential gene expression analysis of gonadal transcriptomes revealed that 9723 genes were differentially expressed between gametogenetic stages, and 141 between sexes (98 and 43 genes highly expressed in females and males, respectively). Eighty-four genes were both stage- and sex-specific, 57 of them being highly expressed at the time of sex determination/early sex differentiation. These 4 novel genes including Trophoblast glycoprotein-like, Protein PML-like, Protein singed-like and PREDICTED: paramyosin, while being supported by RT-qPCR, displayed sexually dimorphic gene expression patterns. Conclusions This gonadal transcriptome analysis, the first one associated with sex phenotypes in C. gigas, revealed 57 genes highly expressed in stage 0 or 3 of gametogenesis and which could be linked to the future sex of the individuals. While further study will be needed to suggest a role for these factors, some could certainly be original potential actors involved in sex determination/early sex differentiation, like paramyosin and could be used to predict the future sex of oysters.

Sex Determination, Gonadal Sex Differentiation and Pl­­asticity in Vertebrate Species

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshitaka Nagahama ◽  
Tapas Chakraborty ◽  
Bindhu Paul-Prasanth ◽  
Kohei Ohta ◽  
Masaru Nakamura
Keyword(s):  
Sex Determination ◽  
Sex Differentiation ◽  
Small Fish ◽  
Vertebrate Species ◽  
Sry Gene ◽  
Cellular Mechanisms ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Number Of Genes ◽  
Biological Event ◽  
The Ideal

A diverse array of sex determination (SD) mechanisms, encompassing environmental to genetic, have been found to exist among vertebrates, covering a spectrum from fixed SD mechanisms (mammals) to functional sex change in fishes (sequential hermaphroditic fishes). A major landmark in vertebrate SD was the discovery of the SRY gene in 1990. Since that time, many attempts to clone an SRY ortholog from non-mammalian vertebrates remained unsuccessful, until 2002, when DMY/DMRT1BY was discovered as the SD gene of a small fish, medaka. Surprisingly, however, DMY/DMRT1BYwas found in only two species among more than 20 species of medaka, suggesting a large diversity of SD genes among vertebrates. Considerable progress has been made over the last 3 decades, such that it is now possible to formulate reasonable paradigms of how SD and gonadal sex differentiation may work in some model vertebrate species. This review outlines our current understanding of vertebrate SD and gonadal sex differentiation, with a focus on the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved. An impressive number of genes and factors have been discovered that play important roles in testicular and ovarian differentiation. An antagonism between the male and female pathway genes exists in gonads during both sex differentiation and, surprisingly, even as adults, suggesting that, in addition to sex-changing fishes, gonochoristic vertebrates including mice maintain some degree of gonadal sexual plasticity into adulthood. Importantly, reviewing various SD mechanisms among vertebrates suggest that this is the ideal biological event that can make us understand the evolutionary conundrums underlying speciation and species diversity.

Sex determination and Y chromosome constitutive heterochromatin

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Abyt Ibraimov
Keyword(s):  
Sex Determination ◽  
Y Chromosome ◽  
Constitutive Heterochromatin ◽  
Sex Differentiation ◽  
Secondary Sexual Characteristics ◽  
Biological Meaning ◽  
Heterochromatin Block ◽  
Sexual Characteristics ◽  
Open Question ◽  
Efficient Elimination

In many animals, including us, the genetic sex is determined at fertilization by sex chromosomes. Seemingly, the sex determination (SD) in human and animals is determined by the amount of constitutive heterochromatin on Y chromosome via cell thermoregulation. It is assumed the medulla and cortex tissue cells in the undifferentiated embryonic gonads (UEG) differ in vulnerability to the increase of the intracellular temperature. If the amount of the Y chromosome constitutive heterochromatin is enough for efficient elimination of heat difference between the nucleus and cytoplasm in rapidly growing UEG cells the medulla tissue survives. Otherwise it doomed to degeneration and a cortex tissue will remain in the UEG. Regardless of whether our assumption is true or not, it remains an open question why on Y chromosome there is a large constitutive heterochromatin block? What is its biological meaning? Does it relate to sex determination, sex differentiation and development of secondary sexual characteristics? If so, what is its mechanism: chemical or physical? There is no scientifically sound answer to these questions.

scholarly journals Possible Epigenetic Origin of a Recurrent Gynandromorph Pattern in Megachile Wild Bees

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 437
Author(s):  
Daniele Sommaggio ◽  
Giuseppe Fusco ◽  
Marco Uliana ◽  
Alessandro Minelli
Keyword(s):  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Sex Differentiation ◽  
General Pattern ◽  
Body Parts ◽  
Wild Bees ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Female Phenotype ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Gene Transcripts ◽  
Individual Body

Gynandromorphs, i.e., individuals with a mix of male and female traits, are common in the wild bees of the genus Megachile (Hymenoptera, Apoidea). We described new transverse gynandromorphs in Megachile pilidens Alfkeen, 1924 and analyze the spatial distribution of body parts with male vs. female phenotype hitherto recorded in the transverse gynandromorphs of the genus Megachile. We identified 10 different arrangements, nine of which are minor variants of a very general pattern, with a combination of male and female traits largely shared by the gynandromorphs recorded in 20 out of 21 Megachile species in our dataset. Based on the recurrence of the same gynandromorph pattern, the current knowledge on sex determination and sex differentiation in the honey bee, and the results of recent gene-knockdown experiments in these insects, we suggest that these composite phenotypes are possibly epigenetic, rather than genetic, mosaics, with individual body parts of either male or female phenotype according to the locally expressed product of the alternative splicing of sex-determining gene transcripts.

scholarly journals The Sex Determination Cascade in the Silkworm

Genes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 315
Author(s):  
Xu Yang ◽  
Kai Chen ◽  
Yaohui Wang ◽  
Dehong Yang ◽  
Yongping Huang
Keyword(s):  
Sex Determination ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Model Species ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Master Regulators ◽  
Primary Signal ◽  
Basic Understanding ◽  
Female Specific ◽  
Working Mechanisms

In insects, sex determination pathways involve three levels of master regulators: primary signals, which determine the sex; executors, which control sex-specific differentiation of tissues and organs; and transducers, which link the primary signals to the executors. The primary signals differ widely among insect species. In Diptera alone, several unrelated primary sex determiners have been identified. However, the doublesex (dsx) gene is highly conserved as the executor component across multiple insect orders. The transducer level shows an intermediate level of conservation. In many, but not all examined insects, a key transducer role is performed by transformer (tra), which controls sex-specific splicing of dsx. In Lepidoptera, studies of sex determination have focused on the lepidopteran model species Bombyx mori (the silkworm). In B. mori, the primary signal of sex determination cascade starts from Fem, a female-specific PIWI-interacting RNA, and its targeting gene Masc, which is apparently specific to and conserved among Lepidoptera. Tra has not been found in Lepidoptera. Instead, the B. mori PSI protein binds directly to dsx pre-mRNA and regulates its alternative splicing to produce male- and female-specific transcripts. Despite this basic understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying sex determination, the links among the primary signals, transducers and executors remain largely unknown in Lepidoptera. In this review, we focus on the latest findings regarding the functions and working mechanisms of genes involved in feminization and masculinization in Lepidoptera and discuss directions for future research of sex determination in the silkworm.

scholarly journals Programming of the reproductive axis by hormonal and genetic manipulation in mice

Reproduction ◽  
2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susana B Rulli ◽  
María Julia Cambiasso ◽  
Laura D Ratner
Keyword(s):  
Sex Chromosome ◽  
Genetic Manipulation ◽  
Sex Differentiation ◽  
Reproductive Function ◽  
Gonadal Steroids ◽  
Critical Periods ◽  
Female Reproduction ◽  
Control Male ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
The Brain

In mammals, the reproductive function is controlled by the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. During development, mechanisms mediated by gonadal steroids exert an imprinting at the hypothalamic-pituitary level, by establishing sexual differences in the circuits that control male and female reproduction. In rodents, the testicular production of androgens increases drastically during the fetal/neonatal stage. This process is essential for the masculinization of the reproductive tract, genitals and brain. The conversion of androgens to estrogens in the brain is crucial for the male sexual differentiation and behavior. Conversely, feminization of the brain occurs in the absence of high levels of gonadal steroids during the perinatal period in females. Potential genetic contribution to the differentiation of brain cells through direct effects of genes located on sex chromosomes is also relevant. In this review, we will focus on the phenotypic alterations that occur on the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis of transgenic mice with persistently elevated expression of the human chorionic gonadotropin hormone (hCG). Excess of endogenously synthesized gonadal steroids due to a constant hCG stimulation is able to disrupt the developmental programming of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis in both transgenic males and females. Locally produced estrogens by the hypothalamic aromatase might play a key role in the phenotype of these mice. The “four core genotypes” mouse model demonstrated a potential influence of sex chromosome genes in brain masculinization before critical periods of sex differentiation. Thus, hormonal and genetic factors interact to regulate the local production of the neurosteroids necessary for the programming of the male and female reproductive function.

Gene networks underlying functional sex in Sparidae (Pisces, Teleostei)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Αλέξανδρος Τσακογιάννης
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Sex Determination ◽  
Gene Networks ◽  
Expression Patterns ◽  
Gene Families ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Dentex Dentex ◽  
The Common ◽  
Model Fish Species ◽  
Model Fish

The differences between sexes and the concept of sex determination have always fascinated, yet troubled philosophers and scientists. Among the animals that reproduce sexually, teleost fishes show a very wide repertoire of reproductive modes. Except for the gonochoristic species, fish are the only vertebrates in which hermaphroditism appears naturally. Hermaphroditism refers to the capability of an organism to reproduce both as male and female in its life cycle and there are various forms of it. In sequential hermaphroditism, an individual begins as female first and then can change sex to become male (protogyny), or vice versa (protandry). The diverse sex-phenotypes of fish are regulated by a variety of sex determination mechanisms, along a continuum of environmental and heritable factors. The vast majority of sexually dimorphic traits result from the differential expression of genes that are present in both sexes. To date, studies regarding the sex-specific differences in gene expression have been conducted mainly in sex determination systems of model fish species that are well characterized at the genomic level, with distinguishable heteromorphic sex chromosomes, exhibiting genetic sex determination and gonochorism. Among teleosts, the Sparidae family is considered to be one of the most diversified families regarding its reproductive systems, and thus is a unique model for comparative studies to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying different sexual motifs. In this study, using RNA sequencing, we studied the transcriptome from gonads and brains of both sexes in five sparid species, representatives of four different reproductive styles. Specifically, we explored the sex-specific expression patterns of a gonochoristic species: the common dentex Dentex dentex, two protogynous hermaphrodites: the red porgy Pagrus pagrus and the common pandora Pagellus erythrinus, the rudimentary hermaphrodite sharpsnout seabream Diplodus puntazzo, and the protandrous gilthead seabream Sparus aurata. We found minor sex-related expression differences indicating a more homogeneous and sexually plastic brain, whereas there was a plethora of sex biased gene expression in the gonads. The functional divergence of the two gonadal types is reflected in their transcriptomic profiles, in terms of the number of genes differentially expressed, as well as the expression magnitude (i.e. fold-change differences). The observation of almost double the number of up-regulated genes in males compared to females indicates a male-biased expression tendency. Focusing on the pathways and genes implicated in sex determination/differentiation, we aimed to unveil the molecular pathways through which these non-model fish species develop a masculine or a feminine character. We observed the implicated pathways and major gene families (e.g. Wnt/b-catenin pathway and Retinoic-acid signaling pathway, Notch, TGFβ) behind sex-biased expression and the recruitment of known sex-related genes either to male or female type of gonads in these fish. (e.g Dmrt1, Sox9, Sox3, Cyp19a, Filgla, Ctnnb1, Gsdf9, Stra6 etc.). We also carefully investigated the presence of genes reported to be involved in sex determination/differentiation mechanisms in other vertebrates and fish and compared their expression patterns in the species under study. The expression profiling exposed known candidate molecular-players/genes establishing the common female (Cyp19a1, Sox3, Figla, Gdf9, Cyp26a, Ctnnb1, Dnmt1, Stra6) and male identity (Dmrt1, Sox9, Dnmt3aa, Rarb, Raraa, Hdac8, Tdrd7) of the gonad in these sparids. Additionally, we focused on those contributing to a species-specific manner either to female (Wnt4a, Dmrt2a, Foxl2 etc.) or to male (Amh, Dmrt3a, Cyp11b etc.) characters, and discussed the expression patterns of factors that belong to important pathways and/or gene families in the SD context, in our species gonadal transcriptomes. Taken together, most of the studied genes form part of the cascade of sex determination, differentiation, and reproduction across teleosts. In this study, we focused on genes that are active when sex is established (sex-maintainers), revealing the basic “gene-toolkit” & gene-networks underlying functional sex in these five sparids. Comparing related species with alternative reproductive styles, we saw different combinations of genes with conserved sex-linked roles and some “handy” molecular players, in a “partially- conserved” or “modulated” network formulating the male and female phenotype. The knowledge obtained in this study and tools developed during the process have set the groundwork for future experiments that can improve the sex control of this species and help the in-deep understanding the complex process of sex differentiation in the more flexible multi-component systems as these studied here.

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