scholarly journals Sex Determination Using RNA-Sequencing Analyses in Early Prenatal Pig Development

Genes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1010
Author(s):  
Susana A. Teixeira ◽  
Adriana M. G. Ibelli ◽  
Maurício E. Cantão ◽  
Haniel C. de Oliveira ◽  
Mônica C. Ledur ◽  
...  

Sexual dimorphism is a relevant factor in animal science, since it can affect the gene expression of economically important traits. Eventually, the interest in the prenatal phase in a transcriptome study may not comprise the period of development in which male and female conceptuses are phenotypically divergent. Therefore, it would be interesting if sex differentiation could be performed using transcriptome data, with no need for extra techniques. In this study, the sex of pig conceptuses (embryos at 25 days-old and fetuses at 35 days-old) was determined by reads counts per million (CPM) of Y chromosome-linked genes that were discrepant among samples. Thus, ten genes were used: DDX3Y, KDM5D, ZFY, EIF2S3Y, EIF1AY, LOC110255320, LOC110257894, LOC396706, LOC100625207, and LOC110255257. Conceptuses that presented reads CPM sum for these genes (ΣCPMchrY) greater than 400 were classified as males and those with ΣCPMchrY below 2 were classified as females. It was demonstrated that the sex identification can be performed at early stages of pig development from RNA-sequencing analysis of genes mapped on Y chromosome. Additionally, these results reinforce that sex determination is a mechanism conserved across mammals, highlighting the importance of using pigs as an animal model to study sex determination during human prenatal development.

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Abyt Ibraimov

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.


Development ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 101 (Supplement) ◽  
pp. 25-32
Author(s):  
Robert P. Erickson ◽  
Edward J. Durbin ◽  
Laura L. Tres

Mice provide material for studies of Y-chromosomal and autosomal sequences involved in sex determination. Eicher and coworkers have identified four subregions in the mouse Y chromosome, one of which corresponds to the Sxr fragment. This fragment demonstrates that only a small portion of the Y is necessary for male sex determination. The mouse Y chromosome also shows variants: the BALB/cWt Y chromosome, which causes nondisjunction of the Y in some germ cells leading to XO and XYY cells and resulting in many infertile true hermaphrodites; the YDom, a wild-type chromosome which can result in sex reversal on a C57BL/6J background; and Y-chromosomal variants detected with Y-derived genomic DNA clones among inbred strains. Two different autosomal loci affecting sex differentiation have been identified in the mouse by Eicher and coworkers. The first of these has not been mapped to a particular chromosome and has been designated Tda-1 (Testis-determining autosomal-1). This is the locus in C57BL/6J mice at which animals must be homozygous in order to develop as true hermaphrodites or sex-reversed animals in the presence of YDom. The other locus has been identified on proximal chromosome 17. This locus also caused hermaphrodites on the C57BL/6J background and it is most easily interpreted as a locus deleted in 7hp. It is located in a region on chromosome 17 containing other genes or DNA sequences that may be related to sex determination. These include both the Hye (histocompatibility Y expression) locus that affects the amount of male-specific antigen detected by serological and cell-mediated assays and a concentration of Bkm sequences. Despite the Y and chromosomal 17 localizations of Bkm sequences, there is no evidence that transcripts from these are involved in sex determination: RNA hybridizing to sense and anti-sense Bkm clones can be detected in day-14 fetal gonads of both sexes.


Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1131
Author(s):  
Xinghua Lin ◽  
Dayan Zhou ◽  
Xiaomin Zhang ◽  
Guangli Li ◽  
Yulei Zhang ◽  
...  

Hong Kong catfish (Clarias fuscus) exhibit sexual dimorphism, particularly in body size. Due to the fast growth rate of males, the sexual size dimorphism of Hong Kong catfish has become an economically important trait. However, limited knowledge is known about the molecular mechanisms of sex determination and sex differentiation in this species. In this study, a first de novo transcriptome sequencing analysis of testes and ovaries was performed to identify sex-biased genes in Hong Kong catfish. The results showed that a total of 290,291 circular consensus sequences (CCSs) were obtained, from which 248,408 full-length non-chimeric (FLNC) reads were generated. After non-redundant analysis, a total of 37,305 unigenes were predicted, in which 34,342 unigenes were annotated with multiple public databases. Comparative transcriptomic analysis identified 5750 testis-biased differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 6991 ovary-biased DEGs. The enrichment analysis showed that DEGs were classified into 783 Gene Ontology (GO) terms and 16 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene and Genome (KEGG) pathways. Many DEGs were involved with sex-related GO terms and KEGG pathways, such as oocyte maturation, androgen secretion, gonadal development and steroid biosynthesis pathways. In addition, the expression levels of 23 unigenes were confirmed to validate the transcriptomic data by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). This is the first investigation into the transcriptome of Hong Kong catfish testes and ovaries. This study provides an important molecular basis for the sex determination and sex control breeding of Hong Kong catfish.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Zhang ◽  
Yanyong Cheng ◽  
Shihao Wu ◽  
Yufeng Lu ◽  
Zhenyu Xue ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. ii33-ii34
Author(s):  
Macarena De La Fuente ◽  
Tulay Koru-Sengul ◽  
Deborah Heros ◽  
Feng Miao ◽  
Alain Fernandez Marrero ◽  
...  

Abstract BACKGROUND Glioblastoma is the most common primary malignant brain tumor. Despite multimodality treatment approach, median progression-free survival (PFS) is only 8 months, median overall-survival (OS) 14 months and 5-year survival rate of under 10%. Dendritic cells (DCs) are the professional antigen presenting cells of the immune system. The rationale for sensitizing dendritic cells to a pool of non-selected tumor antigens is based on the marked heterogeneity present within glioblastoma tumor cells. METHODS Phase 1/feasibility study of DC vaccine for recurrent high-grade glioma was conducted. Pooled, non-selected tumor antigens collected via tumor cell lysate were used for DC sensitization. RNA sequencing analysis was performed on all tumor samples. Cytokine levels in serum were detected using a Luminex cytokine panel. RESULTS A total of 20 patients were enrolled onto this study (median age 58yrs, range: 39–74, 65% male). Pathology showed WHO grade IV glioblastoma in 14 (70%) and grade III anaplastic astrocytoma in 6 (30%) patients. IDH wild type in 19 (95%) patients. Treatment emergent adverse events (all grades, regardless of attribution) occurred in more than 15% of the patients (20% fatigue, 15% dizziness, 15% headache, none leading to treatment discontinuation). There were five grade 3–4 and none grade 5 events. One grade 4 event (seizure) probable related to investigational treatment leading to treatment discontinuation. Four grade 3 events (dysphasia, possible related; intracranial hemorrhage unrelated; muscle weakness, unlikely related and hematoma, unrelated). Median PFS was 3.8 months. Median OS was 11 months. RNA sequencing in tumor samples and correlation with cytokine levels in serum is currently been analyzed. CONCLUSION Tumor lysate pulsed DC vaccination demonstrates acceptable safety and tolerability in high-grade glioma patients. Evaluations of integrating molecular profiling RNA sequencing information and cytokine levels to identify potential subset of patients with significant clinical benefit will be provided.


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