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Balancing the bipotential gonad between alternative organ fates: A new perspective on an old problem
Author(s) -
Kim Yuna,
Capel Blanche
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
developmental dynamics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.634
H-Index - 141
eISSN - 1097-0177
pISSN - 1058-8388
DOI - 10.1002/dvdy.20894
Subject(s) - gonad , biology , testis determining factor , wnt4 , microbiology and biotechnology , sox9 , embryonic stem cell , organogenesis , development of the gonads , fgf9 , cell fate determination , disorders of sex development , genetics , y chromosome , medicine , endocrinology , wnt signaling pathway , gene , gene expression , transcription factor
The embryonic gonads give rise to one of two morphologically and functionally different organs, a testis or an ovary. Sex determination is the embryonic process that determines the developmental fate of the gonad. In mammals, sex determination is regulated by a DNA binding protein encoded on the Y chromosome, Sry , and it's downstream mediator, Sox9 , which trigger testis determination in the bipotential gonad. However, evidence suggests that the extracellular signals. Fgf9 and Wnt4 , are also required to establish divergent organogenesis of the gonad. In this review, we discuss how these extracellular signals interface with cell‐autonomous factors to determine the fate of the mammalian gonad, and we derive a model that could provide a molecular explanation for testis determination in vertebrates where Sry is absent. Developmental Dynamics 235:2292–2300, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.