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Comment
. 2011 Sep 27;108(39):16143-4.
doi: 10.1073/pnas.1113312108. Epub 2011 Sep 19.

Resolving the role of prenatal sex steroids in the development of digit ratio

John T Manning  1
Affiliations
Comment

Resolving the role of prenatal sex steroids in the development of digit ratio

John T Manning. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. .
No abstract available

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Conflict of interest statement

The author declares no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Causal links between PT, PE, and 2D:4D. As described by Zheng and Cohn (1), receptors for androgen and estrogen are present on digits 2 and 4 of the mouse but are most plentiful on the fourth digit. Chondrocyte proliferation is stimulated by PT but arrested by PE. Compared with females, males have higher levels of PT relative to PE and longer fourth digits relative to second digits. Thus, the sex difference in 2D:4D is dependent on prenatal changes in the fourth digit caused by sex-dependent differences in the PT-to-PE ratio. Examples of male and female human hands are shown for comparison.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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References

    1. Zheng Z, Cohn MJ. Developmental basis of the sexually dimorphic digit ratio. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2011;108:16289–16294. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Peters M, Mackenzie K, Bryden P. Finger length and distal finger extent patterns in humans. Am J Phys Anthropol. 2002;117:209–217. - PubMed
    1. Manning JT, Scutt D, Wilson J, Lewis-Jones DI. The ratio of 2nd to 4th digit length: A predictor of sperm numbers and concentrations of testosterone, luteinizing hormone and oestrogen. Hum Reprod. 1998;13:3000–3004. - PubMed
    1. Manning JT. Digit Ratio: A Pointer to Fertility, Behavior, and Health. 1st Ed. Piscataway, NJ: Rutgers Univ Press; 2002.
    1. Brown WM, Finn CJ, Breedlove SM. Sexual dimorphism in digit-length ratios of laboratory mice. Anat Rec. 2002;267:231–234. - PubMed

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