A role for microRNAs in the epigenetic control of sexually dimorphic gene expression in the human placenta

Aim: The contribution of miRNAs as epigenetic regulators of sexually dimorphic gene expression in the placenta is unknown. Materials & methods: 382 placentas from the extremely low gestational age newborns (ELGAN) cohort were evaluated for expression levels of 37,268 mRNAs and 2,102 miRNAs using genome-wide RNA-sequencing. Differential expression analysis was used to identify differences in the expression based on the sex of the fetus. Results: Sexually dimorphic expression was observed for 128 mRNAs and 59 miRNAs. A set of 25 miRNA master regulators was identified that likely contribute to the sexual dimorphic mRNA expression. Conclusion: These data highlight sex-dependent miRNA and mRNA patterning in the placenta and provide insight into a potential mechanism for observed sex differences in outcomes.

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Neuropeptide signalling shapes feeding and reproductive behaviours in male C. elegans

10.1101/2021.11.29.470485 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Matthew J Gadenne ◽

Iris Hardege ◽

Djordji Suleski ◽

Paris Jaggers ◽

Isabel Beets ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Synaptic Connectivity ◽

Male Mating ◽

Sexually Dimorphic ◽

C Elegans ◽

Mating Efficiency ◽

Sexually Dimorphic Expression ◽

Pharyngeal Pumping ◽

Insight Into ◽

Feeding Behaviours ◽

Dimorphic Expression

Sexual dimorphism occurs where different sexes of the same species display differences in characteristics not limited to reproduction. For the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, in which the complete neuroanatomy has been solved for both hermaphrodites and males, sexually dimorphic features have been observed both in terms of the number of neurons and in synaptic connectivity. In addition, male behaviours, such as food-leaving to prioritise searching for mates, have been attributed to neuropeptides released from sex-shared or sex-specific neurons. In this study, we show that the lury-1 neuropeptide gene shows a sexually dimorphic expression pattern; being expressed in pharyngeal neurons in both sexes but displaying additional expression in tail neurons only in the male. We also show that lury-1 mutant animals show sex differences in feeding behaviours, with pharyngeal pumping elevated in hermaphrodites but reduced in males. LURY-1 also modulates male mating efficiency, influencing motor events during contact with a hermaphrodite. Our findings indicate sex-specific roles of this peptide in feeding and reproduction in C. elegans, providing further insight into neuromodulatory control of sexually dimorphic behaviours.

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Inter- and Intraspecific Variation in Drosophila Genes with Sex-Biased Expression

International Journal of Evolutionary Biology ◽

10.1155/2012/963976 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 2012 ◽

pp. 1-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Lena Müller ◽

Sonja Grath ◽

Korbinian von Heckel ◽

John Parsch

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Drosophila Melanogaster ◽

Molecular Evolution ◽

Protein Sequence ◽

Sequence Variation ◽

Purifying Selection ◽

Sexually Dimorphic ◽

Expression Divergence ◽

Sexually Dimorphic Expression ◽

Dimorphic Expression

Genes with sexually dimorphic expression (sex-biased genes) often evolve rapidly and are thought to make an important contribution to reproductive isolation between species. We examined the molecular evolution of sex-biased genes in Drosophila melanogaster and D. ananassae, which represent two independent lineages within the melanogaster group. We find that strong purifying selection limits protein sequence variation within species, but that a considerable fraction of divergence between species can be attributed to positive selection. In D. melanogaster, the proportion of adaptive substitutions between species is greatest for male-biased genes and is especially high for those on the X chromosome. In contrast, male-biased genes do not show unusually high variation within or between populations. A similar pattern is seen at the level of gene expression, where sex-biased genes show high expression divergence between species, but low divergence between populations. In D. ananassae, there is no increased rate of adaptation of male-biased genes, suggesting that the type or strength of selection acting on sex-biased genes differs between lineages.

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Idiopathic Central Precocious Puberty Associated with 11 MbDe NovoDistal Deletion of the Chromosome 9 Short Arm

Case Reports in Genetics ◽

10.1155/2013/978087 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 2013 ◽

pp. 1-6 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mariangela Cisternino ◽

Erika Della Mina ◽

Laura Losa ◽

Alexandra Madè ◽

Giulia Rossetti ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Precocious Puberty ◽

De Novo ◽

Central Precocious Puberty ◽

Chromosome 9 ◽

Sexually Dimorphic ◽

Idiopathic Central Precocious Puberty ◽

Genome Wide ◽

Causative Relationship ◽

Sexually Dimorphic Expression ◽

Dimorphic Expression

We report a girl with ade novodistal deletion of 9p affected by idiopathic central precocious puberty and intellectual disability. Genome-wide array-CGH revealed a terminal deletion of about 11 Mb, allowing to define her karyotype as 46; XX, del(9)(p23-pter). To our knowledge, this is the second reported case of precocious puberty associated with 9p distal deletion. A third case associates precocious puberty with a more proximal 9p deletion del(9)(p12p13,3). In our case, more than 40 genes were encompassed in the deleted region, among which, DMRT1 which is gonad-specific and has a sexually dimorphic expression pattern and ERMP1 which is required in rats for the organization of somatic cells and oocytes into discrete follicular structures. Although we cannot exclude that precocious puberty in our del(9p) patient is a coincidental finding, the report of the other two patients with 9p deletions and precocious puberty indeed suggests a causative relationship.

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A Genome-Wide Survey of Sexually Dimorphic Expression ofDrosophilamiRNAs Identifies the Steroid Hormone-Induced miRNA let-7 as a Regulator of Sexual Identity

Genetics ◽

10.1534/genetics.114.169268 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 198 (2) ◽

pp. 647-668 ◽

Cited By ~ 43

Author(s):

Delphine Fagegaltier ◽

Annekatrin König ◽

Assaf Gordon ◽

Eric C. Lai ◽

Thomas R. Gingeras ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sexual Identity ◽

Steroid Hormone ◽

Sexually Dimorphic ◽

Genome Wide ◽

A Genome ◽

Sexually Dimorphic Expression ◽

Genome Wide Survey ◽

Dimorphic Expression

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Transcriptome analysis of the human tibial nerve identifies sexually dimorphic expression of genes involved in pain, inflammation and neuro-immunity

10.1101/450197 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Pradipta Ray ◽

Jawad Khan ◽

Andi Wangzhou ◽

Diana Tavares-Ferreira ◽

Armen N. Akopian ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Chronic Pain ◽

Sex Differences ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Tibial Nerve ◽

Sexually Dimorphic ◽

Pain Mechanisms ◽

Expression Of Genes ◽

Sexually Dimorphic Expression ◽

Insight Into

AbstractSex differences in gene expression are important contributors to normal physiology and mechanisms of disease. This is increasingly apparent in understanding and potentially treating chronic pain where molecular mechanisms driving sex differences in neuronal plasticity are giving new insight into why certain chronic pain disorders preferentially affect women versus men. Large transcriptomic resources are increasingly available and can be used to mine for sex differences and molecular insight using donor cohorts. We analyzed more than 250 human tibial nerve (hTN) transcriptomes from the GTex Consortium project to gain insight into sex-dependent gene expression in the peripheral nervous system (PNS). We discover 149 genes with sex differential expression. Many of the genes upregulated in men are associated with inflammation, and appear to be primarily expressed by glia or immune cells. In women, we find the differentially upregulated transcription factor SP4 that drives a regulatory program, and may impact sex differences in PNS physiology. Many of these 149 DE genes have some previous association with chronic pain but few of them have been explored thoroughly. Additionally, using clinical data in the GTex database, we identify a subset of differentially expressed (DE) genes in diseases associated with chronic pain, arthritis and type II diabetes. Our work identifies sexually dimorphic gene expression in the human PNS with implications for discovery of sex-specific pain mechanisms.

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A Genome-Wide Survey of Sexually Dimorphic Expression of Drosophila miRNAs Identifies the Steroid Hormone-Induced miRNA let-7 as a Regulator of Sexual Identity

G3 Genes|Genome|Genetics ◽

10.1534/g3.114.012203 ◽

2014 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

D. Fagegaltier ◽

A. Konig ◽

A. Gordon ◽

E. C. Lai ◽

T. R. Gingeras ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sexual Identity ◽

Steroid Hormone ◽

Sexually Dimorphic ◽

Genome Wide ◽

A Genome ◽

Sexually Dimorphic Expression ◽

Genome Wide Survey ◽

Dimorphic Expression

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Sexual dimorphism in gene expression and regulatory networks across human tissues

10.1101/082289 ◽

2016 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Cho-Yi Chen ◽

Camila Lopes-Ramos ◽

Marieke L. Kuijjer ◽

Joseph N. Paulson ◽

Abhijeet R. Sonawane ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Sexual Dimorphism ◽

Gene Regulatory Networks ◽

Regulatory Networks ◽

Hormone Receptors ◽

Sexually Dimorphic ◽

Differential Network ◽

Sexually Dimorphic Expression ◽

Gene Regulatory ◽

Dimorphic Expression

SummarySexual dimorphism manifests in many diseases and may drive sex-specific therapeutic responses. To understand the molecular basis of sexual dimorphism, we conducted a comprehensive assessment of gene expression and regulatory network modeling in 31 tissues using 8716 human transcriptomes from GTEx. We observed sexually dimorphic patterns of gene expression involving as many as 60% of autosomal genes, depending on the tissue. Interestingly, sex hormone receptors do not exhibit sexually dimorphic expression in most tissues; however, differential network targeting by hormone receptors and other transcription factors (TFs) captures their downstream sexually dimorphic gene expression. Furthermore, differential network wiring was found extensively in several tissues, particularly in brain, in which not all regions exhibit strong differential expression. This systems-based analysis provides a new perspective on the drivers of sexual dimorphism, one in which a repertoire of TFs plays important roles in sex-specific rewiring of gene regulatory networks.HighlightsSexual dimorphism manifests in both gene expression and gene regulatory networksSubstantial sexual dimorphism in regulatory networks was found in several tissuesMany differentially regulated genes are not differentially expressedSex hormone receptors do not exhibit sexually dimorphic expression in most tissues

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PDF-1 neuropeptide signaling regulates sexually dimorphic gene expression in shared sensory neurons of C. elegans

eLife ◽

10.7554/elife.36547 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Zoë A Hilbert ◽

Dennis H Kim

Keyword(s):

Sexually Dimorphic ◽

Specific Expression ◽

C Elegans ◽

Pigment Dispersing Factor ◽

Behavioral Decision ◽

Specific Effects ◽

Sexually Dimorphic Expression ◽

Male Specific ◽

Dimorphic Gene Expression ◽

Dimorphic Expression

Sexually dimorphic behaviors are a feature common to species across the animal kingdom, however how such behaviors are generated from mostly sex-shared nervous systems is not well understood. Building on our previous work which described the sexually dimorphic expression of a neuroendocrine ligand, DAF-7, and its role in behavioral decision-making in C. elegans (Hilbert and Kim, 2017), we show here that sex-specific expression of daf-7 is regulated by another neuroendocrine ligand, Pigment Dispersing Factor (PDF-1), which has previously been implicated in regulating male-specific behavior (Barrios et al., 2012). Our analysis revealed that PDF-1 signaling acts sex- and cell-specifically in the ASJ neurons to regulate the expression of daf-7, and we show that differences in PDFR-1 receptor activity account for the sex-specific effects of this pathway. Our data suggest that modulation of the sex-shared nervous system by a cascade of neuroendocrine signals can shape sexually dimorphic behaviors.

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