English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Reproduction in sexually dimorphic animals relies on successful gamete production, executed by the germline and aided by somatic support cells. Somatic sex identity in  Drosophila  is instructed by sex-specific isoforms of the DMRT1 ortholog Doublesex (Dsx). Female-specific expression of Sex-lethal (Sxl) causes alternative splicing of  transformer  ( tra ) to the female isoform  tra   F  . In turn, Tra F  alternatively splices  dsx  to the female isoform  dsx   F  . Loss of the transcriptional repressor Chinmo in male somatic stem cells (CySCs) of the testis causes them to “feminize”, resembling female somatic stem cells in the ovary. This somatic sex transformation causes a collapse of germline differentiation and male infertility. We demonstrate this feminization occurs by transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of  tra   F  . We find that  chinmo -deficient CySCs upregulate  tra  mRNA as well as transcripts encoding  tra -splice factors Virilizer (Vir) and Female lethal (2)d (Fl(2)d).  tra   F   splicing in  chinmo -deficient CySCs leads to the production of Dsx F  at the expense of the male isoform Dsx M , and both Tra F  and Dsx F  are required for CySC sex transformation. Surprisingly, CySC feminization upon loss of  chinmo  does not require Sxl but does require Vir and Fl(2)d. Consistent with this, we show that both Vir and Fl(2)d are required for  tra  alternative splicing in the female somatic gonad. Our work reveals the need for transcriptional regulation of  tra  in adult male stem cells and highlights a previously unobserved Sxl-independent mechanism of  tra   F   production  in vivo . In sum, transcriptional control of the sex determination hierarchy by Chinmo is critical for sex maintenance in sexually dimorphic tissues and is vital in the preservation of fertility.

Chinmo prevents transformer alternative splicing to maintain male sex identity