Genomics of sex determination in Drosophila

Drosophilists have identified many, or perhaps most, of the key regulatory genes determining sex using classical genetics, however, regulatory genes must ultimately result in the deployment of the genome in a quantitative manner, replete with complex interactions with other regulatory pathways. In the last decade, genomics has provided a rich picture of the transcriptional profile of the sexes that underlies sexual dimorphism. The current challenge is linking transcriptional profiles with the regulatory genes. This will be a complex synthesis, but the prospects for progress are outstanding.