Open AccessMetabolism and Sex Differentiation in Animals from a Starvation Perspective
Author(s) -
Yuta Sakae,
Minoru Tanaka
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
sexual development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.528
H-Index - 44
eISSN - 1661-5433
pISSN - 1661-5425
DOI - 10.1159/000515281
Subject(s) - oryzias , biology , sex reversal , sexual differentiation , metabolism , starvation , epigenetics , endocrinology , lipid metabolism , medicine , genetics , gene
Animals determine their sex genetically (GSD: genetic sex determination) and/or environmentally (ESD: environmental sex determination). Medaka ( Oryzias latipes ) employ a XX/XY GSD system, however, they display female-to-male sex reversal in response to various environmental changes such as temperature, hypoxia, and green light. Interestingly, we found that 5 days of starvation during sex differentiation caused female-to-male sex reversal. In this situation, the metabolism of pantothenate and fatty acid synthesis plays an important role in sex reversal. Metabolism is associated with other biological factors such as germ cells, HPG axis, lipids, and epigenetics, and supplys substances and acts as signal transducers. In this review, we discuss the importance of metabolism during sex differentiation and how metabolism contributes to sex differentiation.