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Review
. 2013:2013:587460.
doi: 10.1155/2013/587460. Epub 2013 Dec 4.

The variety of vertebrate mechanisms of sex determination

Antonina V Trukhina  1 , Natalia A Lukina  1 , Natalia D Wackerow-Kouzova  1 , Alexander F Smirnov  1
Affiliations
Review

The variety of vertebrate mechanisms of sex determination

Antonina V Trukhina et al. Biomed Res Int. 2013.

Abstract

The review deals with features of sex determination in vertebrates. The mechanisms of sex determination are compared between fishes, amphibians, reptilians, birds, and mammals. We focus on structural and functional differences in the role of sex-determining genes in different vertebrates. Special attention is paid to the role of estrogens in sex determination in nonmammalian vertebrates.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
This schema presents sex determination by steroid hormones and some SD-genes in Rana rugosa. Testosterone and estradiol-17β are produced in the undifferentiated gonads of males and females, respectively. Sex chromosomes (Z, W) and autosomes (3, 9, 7) were denoted by letters and the numbers, respectively. AR-T and ER-E2 indicate the complexes of steroid receptor. Localization of genes on chromosomes marked lateral line (adopted from [10, 11]).
Figure 2
Figure 2
The role AMH in repressing of Müllerian duck differentiation. The Wolffian duck has to be maintained and stimulated to differentiate into the male tract and accessory organ. Then, the Müllerian duct system has to regress, due to action AMH secreted by Sertoli cells. Sox9 and Sf1 are both involved in the expression of the AMH gene as a result of their respective binding to the promoter and in part because of their ability to interact with each other (adopted from [17]).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Genetic determination of testes in Japanese medaka fish, chicken, and mouse. Somatic gene sox9 was involved in the control of testes from fish. AMH signaling pathway is a very conservative element of testes, along with other major regulators, appeared in other species (adopted from [4]).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Genetic determination of the ovaries of Japanese medaka fish, chicken, and mouse. Genes such as foxl2 and r-spo1 are conserved. Cyp19a1 plays a more important role in nonmammals (adopted from [4]).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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