DMRT Transcription Factors in the Control of Nervous System Sexual Differentiation

Abstract

Sexual phenotypic differences in the nervous system are one of the most prevalent features across the animal kingdom. The molecular mechanisms responsible for sexual dimorphism throughout metazoan nervous systems are extremely diverse, ranging from intrinsic cell autonomous mechanisms to gonad-dependent endocrine control of sexual traits, or even extrinsic environmental cues. In recent years, the DMRT ancient family of transcription factors has emerged as being central in the development of sex-specific differentiation in all animals in which they have been studied. In this review, we provide an overview of the function of Dmrt genes in nervous system sexual regulation from an evolutionary perspective.

Keywords: Dmrt; conservation; dmd; doublesex; nervous system; sexual differentiation.

Figure 1

DMRT family phylogeny. Figure adapted from Mawaribuchi et al. (2019). Bayesian tree of bilaterian Dmrt family genes. The tree was constructed using protein sequences of the DM domains from 19 species representing eight different phyla in bilateria. Blue and red circles represent Deuterostomia and Protostomia, respectively. * and ** indicate DM domain regions on 5′ and 3′ sides, respectively. Lingula anatina (La); Aplysia californica (Ac); L. gigantea (Lg); Priapulus caudatus (Pc); Caenorhabditis elegans (Ce); Caenorhabditis remanei (Cr); Anopheles gambiae (Ag); Drosophila melanogaster (Dm); Saccoglossus kowalevskii (Sk); Strongylocentrotus purpuratus (Sp); Ciona intestinalis (Ci); Branchiostoma floridae (Bf); Chondrichthyes, C. milii (Cm); L. erinacea (Le); L. oculatus (Lo); O. latipes (Ol); L. chalumnae (Lc); Xenopus laevis (Xl); Homo sapiens (Hs).

Figure 2

dmd and doublesex mechanisms underlying sex-specific circuits and behaviors. Solid and dashed arrows indicate direct and indirect regulation, respectively. The question mark represents that the mechanism by which ecdysone signaling regulates dsx is unknown. TF, transcription factor; NT, neurotransmitter.