Faculty Opinions recommendation of A Y-linked anti-Müllerian hormone duplication takes over a critical role in sex determination.

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig Smith ◽  
Katie Ayers
Keyword(s):  
Sex Determination ◽  
Critical Role

scholarly journals Identification and Functional Analysis of the Sex-Determiner Transformer-2 Homologue in the Freshwater Pearl Mussel, Hyriopsis cumingii

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yayu Wang ◽  
Xiaoqiang Wang ◽  
Jingyuan Ge ◽  
Guiling Wang ◽  
Jiale Li
Keyword(s):  
Sex Determination ◽  
Regulatory Element ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Gonadal Development ◽  
Close Relative ◽  
Regulation Mechanism ◽  
Pearl Mussel ◽  
Specific Expression ◽  
Hyriopsis Cumingii ◽  
Sex Regulation

Transformer-2 (Tra-2) is an upstream regulatory element of the sex regulation mechanism in insects and plays a critical role in sex formation. To understand the role of tra-2 in Hyriopsis cumingii, the full-length Hctra-2 (1867 bp) was obtained from the gonads, and sequence alignment with other species showed that HCTRA-2 protein had a highly conserved RRM domain. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the HCTRA-2 protein was a close relative to of the mollusks TRA-2 protein. The qRT-PCR of tissue-specific expression pattern showed that the Hctra-2 was abundant in gonads, and the expression in testes was higher than that in ovaries (p < 0.01). It suggests that Hctra-2 may play a potential regulatory role in gonadal development of H. cumingii. In the early gonadal development, the Hctra-2 expression was the highest on the third day after fertilization and increased slightly from 4 months to 5 months, which may be related to the embryonic sex determination and early gonadal development. In situ hybridization showed that Hctra-2 mRNA signals were present in both male and female gonads. After silencing Hctra-2 by RNAi, the expression levels of Hcfem-1b and Hcdmrt were changed. It is speculated that there may be a certain relationship between them, which plays an important role in the sex regulation of H. cumingii. Our research will help to deepen our understanding of the shellfish sex determination mechanisms.

scholarly journals Comprehensive Identification and Alternative Splicing of Microexons in Drosophila

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ting-Lin Pang ◽  
Zhan Ding ◽  
Shao-Bo Liang ◽  
Liang Li ◽  
Bei Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Alternative Splicing ◽  
Sex Determination ◽  
Rna Splicing ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Regulation Of Gene Expression ◽  
Pathway Gene ◽  
Mrna Transcripts ◽  
Bioinformatic Tool ◽  
Alternatively Spliced

Interrupted exons in the pre-mRNA transcripts are ligated together through RNA splicing, which plays a critical role in the regulation of gene expression. Exons with a length ≤ 30 nt are defined as microexons that are unique in identification. However, microexons, especially those shorter than 8 nt, have not been well studied in many organisms due to difficulties in mapping short segments from sequencing reads. Here, we analyzed mRNA-seq data from a variety of Drosophila samples with a newly developed bioinformatic tool, ce-TopHat. In addition to the Flybase annotated, 465 new microexons were identified. Differentially alternatively spliced (AS) microexons were investigated between the Drosophila tissues (head, body, and gonad) and genders. Most of the AS microexons were found in the head and two AS microexons were identified in the sex-determination pathway gene fruitless.

scholarly journals Estrogen Receptor 1 (ESR1; ERα), not ESR2 (ERβ), Modulates Estrogen-Induced Sex Reversal in the American Alligator, a Species With Temperature-Dependent Sex Determination

Endocrinology ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 156 (5) ◽  
pp. 1887-1899 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satomi Kohno ◽  
Melissa C. Bernhard ◽  
Yoshinao Katsu ◽  
Jianguo Zhu ◽  
Teresa A. Bryan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Estrogen Receptor ◽  
Sex Determination ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Sex Reversal ◽  
Sensitive Period ◽  
Mullerian Duct ◽  
American Alligator ◽  
Temperature Dependent ◽  
Müllerian Duct

All crocodilians and many turtles exhibit temperature-dependent sex determination where the temperature of the incubated egg, during a thermo-sensitive period (TSP), determines the sex of the offspring. Estrogens play a critical role in sex determination in crocodilians and turtles, as it likely does in most nonmammalian vertebrates. Indeed, administration of estrogens during the TSP induces male to female sex reversal at a male-producing temperature (MPT). However, it is not clear how estrogens override the influence of temperature during sex determination in these species. Most vertebrates have 2 forms of nuclear estrogen receptor (ESR): ESR1 (ERα) and ESR2 (ERβ). However, there is no direct evidence concerning which ESR is involved in sex determination, because a specific agonist or antagonist for each ESR has not been tested in nonmammalian species. We identified specific pharmaceutical agonists for each ESR using an in vitro transactivation assay employing American alligator ESR1 and ESR2; these were 4,4′,4′’-(4-propyl-[1H]-pyrazole-1,3,5-triyl)trisphenol (PPT) and 7-bromo-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1,3-benzoxazol-5-ol (WAY 200070), respectively. Alligator eggs were exposed to PPT or WAY 200070 at a MPT just before the TSP, and their sex was examined at the last stage of embryonic development. Estradiol-17β and PPT, but not WAY 200070, induced sex reversal at a MPT. PPT-exposed embryos exposed to the highest dose (5.0 μg/g egg weight) exhibited enlargement and advanced differentiation of the Müllerian duct. These results indicate that ESR1 is likely the principal ESR involved in sex reversal as well as embryonic Müllerian duct survival and growth in American alligators.

scholarly journals MicroRNAs in amniotic fluid and maternal blood plasma associated with sex determination and early gonad differentiation in cattle

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
José María Sánchez ◽  
Isabel Gómez-Redondo ◽  
John A Browne ◽  
Benjamín Planells ◽  
Alfonso Gutiérrez-Adán ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amniotic Fluid ◽  
Sex Determination ◽  
Blood Plasma ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Gonad Development ◽  
Maternal Blood ◽  
Female Embryo ◽  
Single Male ◽  
Male Embryo ◽  
Gonad Differentiation

Abstract MicroRNAs (miRNAs), as gene expression regulators, may play a critical role during the sex determination process. We hypothesised that the expression of miRNAs in amniotic fluid (AF) and maternal blood plasma (MP) during this process would be affected by the sex of the embryo. Amniotic fluid and MP were collected from six pregnant heifers (3 carrying a single male and 3 a single female embryo) following slaughter on Day 39 post insemination, coinciding with the peak of SRY expression. Samples (6 AF and 6 MP) were profiled using a miRNA Serum/Plasma Focus PCR Panel. Differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs were identified in AF (n = 5) and associated MP (n = 56) of male vs female embryos (P < 0.05). Functional analysis showed that inflammatory and immune response were amongst the 13 biological processes enriched by miRNAs DE in MP in the male group (FDR < 0.05), suggesting that these sex-dependent DE miRNAs may be implicated in modulating the receptivity of the dam to a male embryo. Further, we compared the downstream targets of the sex-dependent DE miRNAs detected in MP with genes previously identified as DE in male vs female genital ridges. The analyses revealed potential targets that might be important during this developmental stage such as SHROOM2, DDX3Y, SOX9, SRY, PPP1CB, JARID2, USP9X, KDM6A, and EIF2S3. Results from this study highlight novel aspects of sex determination and embryo-maternal communication in cattle such as the potential role of miRNAs in gonad development as well as in the modulation of the receptivity of the dam to a male embryo.

scholarly journals MAP3K4 Kinase Activity Dependent Control of Mouse Gonadal Sex Determination†

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noha A M Shendy ◽  
Amber L Broadhurst ◽  
Kristin Shoemaker ◽  
Robert Read ◽  
Amy N Abell
Keyword(s):  
Sex Determination ◽  
Kinase Activity ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Reproductive Organs ◽  
Kinase Domain ◽  
Sex Reversal ◽  
Functional Protein ◽  
Protein Protein Interaction ◽  
Ovarian Size ◽  
Additional Protein

Abstract Sex determination requires the commitment of bipotential gonads to either a testis or ovarian fate. Gene deletion of the kinase Map3k4 results in gonadal sex reversal in XY mice, and transgenic re-expression of Map3k4 rescues the sex reversal phenotype. Map3k4 encodes a large, multi-functional protein possessing a kinase domain and several, additional protein-protein interaction domains. Although MAP3K4 plays a critical role in male gonadal sex determination, it is unknown if the kinase activity of MAP3K4 is required. Here, we use mice expressing full-length, kinase-inactive MAP3K4 from the endogenous Map3k4 locus to examine the requirement of MAP3K4 kinase activity in sex determination. Although homozygous kinase-inactivation of MAP3K4 (Map3k4KI/KI) is lethal, a small fraction survive to adulthood. We show Map3k4KI/KI adults exhibit a 4:1 female-biased sex ratio. Many adult Map3k4KI/KI phenotypic females have a Y chromosome. XY Map3k4KI/KI adults with sex reversal display female mating behavior, but do not give rise to offspring. Reproductive organs are overtly female, but there is a broad spectrum of ovarian phenotypes, including ovarian absence, primitive ovaries, reduced ovarian size, and ovaries having follicles in all stages of development. Further, XY Map3k4KI/KI adults are smaller than either male or female Map3k4WT/WT mice. Examination of the critical stage of gonadal sex determination at E11.5 shows that loss of MAP3K4 kinase activity results in the loss of Sry expression in XY Map3k4KI/KI embryos, indicating embryonic male gonadal sex reversal. Together, these findings demonstrate the essential role for kinase activity of MAP3K4 in male gonadal sex determination.

scholarly journals A Y-linked anti-Mullerian hormone duplication takes over a critical role in sex determination

2012 ◽  
Vol 109 (8) ◽  
pp. 2955-2959 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. S. Hattori ◽  
Y. Murai ◽  
M. Oura ◽  
S. Masuda ◽  
S. K. Majhi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Determination ◽  
Critical Role

A genetic method for sex determination in Ovis spp. by interruption of the zinc finger protein, Y-linked (ZFY) gene on the Y chromosome

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (9) ◽  
pp. 1161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Sheng Zhang ◽  
Ying Chun Du ◽  
Li Rong Sun ◽  
Xu Hai Wang ◽  
Shuai Bing Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Determination ◽  
Gene Targeting ◽  
Y Chromosome ◽  
Zinc Finger ◽  
Zinc Finger Protein ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Polymerase Chain Reaction Analysis ◽  
Genetic Method ◽  
Finger Protein ◽  
Hu Sheep

The mammalian Y chromosome plays a critical role in spermatogenesis. However, the exact functions of each gene on the Y chromosome have not been completely elucidated, due, in part, to difficulties in gene targeting analysis of the Y chromosome. The zinc finger protein, Y-linked (ZFY) gene was first proposed to be a sex determination factor, although its function in spermatogenesis has recently been elucidated. Nevertheless, ZFY gene targeting analysis has not been performed to date. In the present study, RNA interference (RNAi) was used to generate ZFY-interrupted Hu sheep by injecting short hairpin RNA (shRNA) into round spermatids. The resulting spermatozoa exhibited abnormal sperm morphology, including spermatozoa without tails and others with head and tail abnormalities. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that ZFY mRNA expression was decreased significantly in Hu sheep with interrupted ZFY compared with wild-type Hu sheep. The sex ratio of lambs also exhibited a bias towards females. Together, the experimental strategy and findings of the present study reveal that ZFY also functions in spermatogenesis in Hu sheep and facilitate the use of RNAi in the control of sex in Hu sheep.

scholarly journals The role of Cyp19a1 in female pathway of a freshwater turtle (Mauremys reevesii) with temperature-dependent sex determination

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pengfei Wu ◽  
Xifeng Wang ◽  
Fei Gao ◽  
Weiguo Du
Keyword(s):  
Sex Determination ◽  
Sex Differentiation ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Temperature Shift ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Freshwater Turtle ◽  
Temperature Dependent ◽  
Female Sex ◽  
Determination Process ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic Expression

The molecular mechanism of temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) in reptiles has been drawn great interest from biologists for several decades. However, which genetic factors are essential for TSD remain elusive, especially for the female sex determination process. Cyp19a1, encodes an enzyme of aromatase catalyzing the conversion of testosterone to estrogen, has been confirmed to modulate steroid hormones involved in the sexual differentiation of many species, but whether it has a critical role in determining the gonadal sexual fate in TSD is still to be elucidated. Here, we identified that Cyp19a1 expression exhibited a temperature-dependent, sexually dimorphic expression pattern, preceding gonadal sex differentiation in a TSD turtle Mauremys reevesii. Cyp19a1 expression in gonads increased dramatically when embryos developed at high female-producing temperatures (FPT), but were extremely low throughout embryogenesis at low male-producing temperatures (MPT). Cyp19a1 expression increased rapidly in response to the temperature shift from MPT to FPT in developing gonads. The sexual phenotype of turtles was successfully reversed by aromatase inhibitor treatment at FPT, and by estrogen treatment at MPT, accompanied with the rapid upregulation of Cyp19a1. These results demonstrate that Cyp19a1 is essential for the female sex determination process in M. reevesii, indicating its vital role in the female pathway of TSD.

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