Navigation Links
Female embryonic sexual development driven by universal factor
Date:11/13/2008

A gene essential to the growth and development of most organ systems in the body also is vital to female but not male embryonic sexual development, scientists report this month.

The study, from researchers at the University of Illinois and the University of Texas, appears in Human Molecular Genetics. The findings lend support to a controversial hypothesis about mammalian sexual development.

In the beginning in terms of their sexual organs all embryos look alike, said Illinois veterinary biosciences professor Humphrey Yao, who led the study.

"They have a common primordium, the foundation for both testis and ovary," he said. "Only at a certain stage of development does this primordium start to follow a different path."

In the early days of research into sexual development, it was thought that all females had two X chromosomes, all males had an X and a Y, and that the Y made all the difference. Unless it had a Y chromosome, an embryo developed ovaries and became female, more or less by default, scientists thought. They even found a specific gene on the Y chromosome, called SRY (for sex-determining region of the Y chromosome) that appeared to be essential for testes formation.

But when researchers discovered some rare cases of individuals who developed testes even though they had two X chromosomes and no Y chromosome or SRY gene, they realized that the mechanisms of sex determination were more complex than previously thought.

This led to a new theory, called the "Z" hypothesis, which proposed that testes development was actually the default pathway. According to this theory, an unknown gene or process, called "Z," could disrupt this pathway and lead to the development of ovaries.

The "Z" hypothesis explained why SRY appeared essential for testes development. When it is present, SRY suppresses "Z" and allows the default option (development of testes) to occur.

This theory was comp
'/>"/>

Contact: Diana Yates, Life Sciences Editor
diya@illinois.edu
217-333-5802
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Source:Eurekalert  

1

GOOD

Page: 1 2 3

Related biology news :

1. Sex is thirst-quenching for female beetles
2. UT Southwestern researchers identify hundreds of genes controlling female fertility
3. Why do males and females frequently differ in body size and structure?
4. X-effect: female chromosome confirmed a prime driver of speciation
5. Vaginal reconstruction not needed for most inter-sex females, Hopkins study shows
6. Gene in male fish lures females into sex
7. New evidence for female control in reproduction
8. Men unaware of their cancer risk when female relatives test positive for BRCA mutation
9. How do you know whether you are male or female?
10. Female katydids prefer mates cool in winter and hot in summer
11. Female concave-eared frogs draw mates with ultrasonic calls
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
Related Image:
Female embryonic sexual development driven by universal factor
(Date:6/19/2013)... bred specifically for human consumption qualifies as a gluten-free ... disease (CD), scientists have confirmed in a study published ... . , Joyce Irene Boye and colleagues point ... United States alone have CD. They develop gastrointestinal and ... grains that contain gluten-related proteins. Boye,s team sought to ...
(Date:6/19/2013)... , June 19, 2013  New York College of ... United States Patent and Trademark Office for detecting biometric ... reflect whether guards have been injured, attacked or killed. ... portfolio under the Intellectual Properties Agreements of New York ... , President of New York ...
(Date:6/19/2013)... floods across the Midwest are expected to contribute to ... Mexico "dead zone," according to a University of Michigan ... along with one for the Chesapeake Bay. , The ... Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, calls for an oxygen-depleted, or ... which would place it among the 10 largest on ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):New Technology Using Biometrics Detects If Security Guards Are Attacked, Injured Or Killed 2New Technology Using Biometrics Detects If Security Guards Are Attacked, Injured Or Killed 3New Technology Using Biometrics Detects If Security Guards Are Attacked, Injured Or Killed 4U-M researcher and colleagues predict possible record-setting Gulf of Mexico 'dead zone' 2U-M researcher and colleagues predict possible record-setting Gulf of Mexico 'dead zone' 3U-M researcher and colleagues predict possible record-setting Gulf of Mexico 'dead zone' 4
... renews itself may be simpler than what scientists had been ... of The Journal of Biological Chemistry, provides new information on ... significantly affect the way physicians make livers regrow in patients ... , "The human liver is one of the few organs ...
... do it: they simply grab carbon dioxide out of the ... as photosynthesis, the plants use light as their energy source. ... as a carbon source for their synthetic reactions, but it ... Antonietti at the Max Planck Institute for Colloids and Interfaces ...
... inhibitor of a protein that plays key roles in ... the inhibitor can halt the growth of tumors in ... are reported in companion papers reported by two collaborating ... the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology in Vienna, and ...
Cached Biology News:Liver regeneration may be simpler than previously thought 2Liver regeneration may be simpler than previously thought 3Progress toward artificial photosynthesis? 2New protein inhibitor impedes growth of cancerous cells 2
(Date:6/19/2013)... 2013 Synthetic Biologics, Inc. (NYSE MKT: SYN), a ... serious infectious diseases, announced today that Jeffrey Riley , ... New York Conference on Thursday, June 27, 2013 at The ... Mr. Riley is scheduled to present at 8:40 a.m. (Eastern ... can be accessed by logging onto the web at ...
(Date:6/19/2013)... WASHINGTON, D.C. (PRWEB) June 19, 2013 ... with its first Bayer Bee Care Community Leadership Award. ... Pollinator Week Congressional Reception in Washington, D.C., an ... pollinators make to the world’s food supply. , ... who have harnessed the power of the honey bee ...
(Date:6/19/2013)... Bloomington, Indiana (PRWEB) June 19, 2013 ... Valentine joined the speaking faculty at 2013’s BioLogistics ... , The conference, coordinated by Cold Chain IQ ... surrounding biologics. This “complexity” is, in part, attributed ... medicine. , “Implicit within these trends is ...
(Date:6/19/2013)... (PRWEB) June 19, 2013 Express Diagnostics ... tests, today announced that it has received Class III ... and sell its DrugCheck® NxStep Onsite Drug Screen ... of the rapid screening device in near-patient settings, such ... Screen Cup received Health Canada Class III approval for ...
Breaking Biology Technology:Synthetic Biologics to Present at OneMedForum New York 2013 2Community Mentor Wins Inaugural Bayer CropScience Bee Care Leadership Award 2Community Mentor Wins Inaugural Bayer CropScience Bee Care Leadership Award 3Community Mentor Wins Inaugural Bayer CropScience Bee Care Leadership Award 4BioConvergence® Presents at BioLogistics Summit on Risk Matrix for Biosamples during Shipment 2Express Diagnostics’ DrugCheck® On-site Test Cup Receives Health Canada Class III Medical Device Approval 2Express Diagnostics’ DrugCheck® On-site Test Cup Receives Health Canada Class III Medical Device Approval 3
... in early-stage Wisconsin companies topped $100 million last year, but ... interesting investment patterns. , ,The figures were outlined in a ... for 2006, which was produced by NorthStar Economics , ... Department of Financial Institutions . , ,While the total ...
... to add the Olympics to their list of great ... more than just a third-party Wi-Fi agreement. The City ... Wi-Fi and into the real competition of global cities ... Look around, Wi-Fi projects are failing , ,Anyone ...
... This is part II of a two-part column on ... focused on the recent controversy over Avandia, GlaxoSmithKline's diabetes drug. ... be so deeply integral to the system that it might be ... For much of its history, the Food and Drug Administration's ...
Cached Biology Technology:Breaking down Wisconsin's angel capital numbers 2Breaking down Wisconsin's angel capital numbers 3No network infrastructure, no Olympics, no nothing 2No network infrastructure, no Olympics, no nothing 3No network infrastructure, no Olympics, no nothing 4No network infrastructure, no Olympics, no nothing 5No network infrastructure, no Olympics, no nothing 6Reforming FDA: Focus on safety, let market judge efficacy 2Reforming FDA: Focus on safety, let market judge efficacy 3Reforming FDA: Focus on safety, let market judge efficacy 4Reforming FDA: Focus on safety, let market judge efficacy 5Reforming FDA: Focus on safety, let market judge efficacy 6
... sensitive silver stain. Reproducible ... baths or reversers needed. ... polysaccharides. Linear protein-to-stain color ... multiple gels per tray. ...
Rabbit polyclonal to Quinaldic Acid ( Abpromise for all tested applications). Antigen: Synthetic peptide Quinaldic Acid conjugated to a protein carrier....
A set of five peptides which can be used to calibrate a Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) or Electrospray Ionization (ESI) mass spectrometer....
... CLS number is a new ... match Cornings product number. If ... order under the old Sigma-Aldrich ... service for assistance. ID clarifier: ...
Biology Products: