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Just how conserved is vertebrate sex determination?
Author(s) -
Cutting Andrew,
Chue Justin,
Smith Craig A.
Publication year - 2013
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.23944
Subject(s) - biology , sexual differentiation , vertebrate , aromatase , testis determining factor , gene , sexual dimorphism , sexual characteristics , ovary , sox9 , somatic cell , genetics , disorders of sex development , sex reversal , evolutionary biology , y chromosome , endocrinology , gene expression , cancer , breast cancer
Background: Sex determination in vertebrate embryos has long been equated with gonadal differentiation into testes or ovaries. This view has been challenged over the years by reports of somatic sexual dimorphisms pre‐dating gonadal sex differentiation. The recent finding that sex determination in birds is likely to be partly cell autonomous has again called for a broader definition of sex determination. Inherent sexual differentiation in each and every cell may apply widely among vertebrates, and may involve more than one “master sex gene” on a sex chromosome. At the gonadal level, key genes required for proper sexual differentiation are conserved among vertebrates, but their relative positions in the ovarian and testicular cascades differ. Results: We illustrate these differences by comparing key sex genes in fishes versus birds and mammals, with emphasis on DM domain genes and the SOX9‐AMH pathway in the testis and the FOXL2‐Aromatase pathway in the ovary. Such comparisons facilitate the identification of ancient versus derived genes involved in gonadal sex determination. Conclusions: The data indicate that vertebrate sex‐determining cascades are not as conserved as once thought. Developmental Dynamics 242:380–387, 2013 . © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.