Regulation of Sexual Dimorphism in Mammals

1998 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHRISTOPHER M. HAQQ ◽  
PATRICIA K. DONAHOE
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Dimorphism ◽  
Sex Determination ◽  
Cell Fate ◽  
Middle Ages ◽  
Sexual Differentiation ◽  
Molecular Basis ◽  
Sex Differentiation ◽  
Specific Gene ◽  
Single Individual ◽  
Cell Fate Decisions

Haqq, Christopher M., and Patricia K. Donahoe. Regulation of Sexual Dimorphism in Mammals. Physiol. Rev. 78: 1–33, 1998. — Sexual dimorphism in humans has been the subject of wonder for centuries. In 355 BC, Aristotle postulated that sexual dimorphism arose from differences in the heat of semen at the time of copulation. In his scheme, hot semen generated males, whereas cold semen made females (Jacquart, D., and C. Thomasset. Sexuality and Medicine in the Middle Ages, 1988). In medieval times, there was great controversy about the existence of a female pope, who may have in fact had an intersex phenotype (New, M. I., and E. S. Kitzinger. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 76: 3–13, 1993.). Recent years have seen a resurgence of interest in mechanisms controlling sexual differentiation in mammals. Sex differentiation relies on establishment of chromosomal sex at fertilization, followed by the differentiation of gonads, and ultimately the establishment of phenotypic sex in its final form at puberty. Each event in sex determination depends on the preceding event, and normally, chromosomal, gonadal, and somatic sex all agree. There are, however, instances where chromosomal, gonadal, or somatic sex do not agree, and sexual differentiation is ambiguous, with male and female characteristics combined in a single individual. In humans, well-characterized patients are 46, XY women who have the syndrome of pure gonadal dysgenesis, and a subset of true hermaphrodites are phenotypic men with a 46, XX karyotype. Analysis of such individuals has permitted identification of some of the molecules involved in sex determination, including SRY (sex-determining region Y gene), which is a Y chromosomal gene fulfilling the genetic and conceptual requirements of a testis-determining factor. The purpose of this review is to summarize the molecular basis for syndromes of sexual ambiguity seen in human patients and to identify areas where further research is needed. Understanding how sex-specific gene activity is orchestrated may provide insight into the molecular basis of other cell fate decisions during development which, in turn, may lead to an understanding of aberrant cell fate decisions made in patients with birth defects and during neoplastic change.

scholarly journals Sex differentiation in grayling (Salmonidae) goes through an all-male stage and is delayed in genetic males who instead grow faster

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diane Maitre ◽  
Oliver M. Selmoni ◽  
Anshu Uppal ◽  
Lucas Marques da Cunha ◽  
Laetitia G. E. Wilkins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Sex Determination ◽  
Sex Differentiation ◽  
Sex Ratios ◽  
Molecular Genetic ◽  
Specific Gene ◽  
Genetic Sexing ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Two Samples

AbstractFish can be threatened by distorted sex ratios that arise during sex differentiation. It is therefore important to understand sex determination and differentiation, especially in river-dwelling fish that are often exposed to environmental factors that may interfere with sex differentiation. However, sex differentiation is not sufficiently understood in keystone taxa such as the Thymallinae, one of the three salmonid subfamilies. Here we study a wild grayling (Thymallus thymallus) population that suffers from distorted sex ratios. We found sex determination in the wild and in captivity to be genetic and linked to the sdY locus. We therefore studied sex-specific gene expression in embryos and early larvae that were bred and raised under different experimental conditions, and we studied gonadal morphology in five monthly samples taken after hatching. Significant sex-specific changes in gene expression (affecting about 25,000 genes) started around hatching. Gonads were still undifferentiated three weeks after hatching, but about half of the fish showed immature testes around seven weeks after hatching. Over the next few months, this phenotype was mostly replaced by the “testis-to-ovary” or “ovaries” phenotypes. The gonads of the remaining fish, i.e. approximately half of the fish in each sampling period, remained undifferentiated until six months after fertilization. Genetic sexing of the last two samples revealed that fish with undifferentiated gonads were all males, who, by that time, were on average larger than the genetic females (verified in 8-months old juveniles raised in another experiment). Only 12% of the genetic males showed testicular tissue six months after fertilization. We conclude that sex differentiation starts around hatching, goes through an all-male stage for both sexes (which represents a rare case of “undifferentiated” gonochoristic species that usually go through an all-female stage), and is delayed in males who, instead of developing their gonads, grow faster than females during these juvenile stages.Author contributionMRR and CW initiated the project. DM, OS, AU, LMC, LW, and CW sampled the adult fish, did the experimental in vitro fertilizations, and prepared the embryos for experimental rearing in the laboratory. All further manipulations on the embryos and the larvae were done by DM, OS, AU, LMC, and LW. The RNA-seq data were analyzed by OS, JR, and MRR, the histological analyses were done by DM, supervised by SK, and the molecular genetic sexing was performed by DM, OS, AU, and KBM. DM, OS, and CW performed the remaining statistical analyses and wrote the first version of the manuscript that was then critically revised by all other authors.

scholarly journals C/EBPα determines hematopoietic cell fate in multipotential progenitor cells by inhibiting erythroid differentiation and inducing myeloid differentiation

Blood ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 107 (11) ◽  
pp. 4308-4316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyung Chan Suh ◽  
John Gooya ◽  
Katie Renn ◽  
Alan D. Friedman ◽  
Peter F. Johnson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Cell Fate ◽  
Hematopoietic Cell ◽  
Myeloid Differentiation ◽  
Specific Gene ◽  
Erythroid Progenitors ◽  
Hematopoietic Stem ◽  
Cell Fate Decisions ◽  
Conditional Expression ◽  
Murine Erythroleukemia

AbstractC/EBPα is an essential transcription factor required for myeloid differentiation. While C/EBPα can act as a cell fate switch to promote granulocyte differentiation in bipotential granulocyte-macrophage progenitors (GMPs), its role in regulating cell fate decisions in more primitive progenitors is not known. We found increased numbers of erythroid progenitors and erythroid cells in C/EBPα–/– fetal liver (FL). Also, enforced expression of C/EBPα in hematopoietic stem cells resulted in a loss of erythroid progenitors and an increase in myeloid cells by inhibition of erythroid development and inducing myeloid differentiation. Conditional expression of C/EBPα in murine erythroleukemia (MEL) cells induced myeloid-specific genes, while inhibiting erythroid-specific gene expression including erythropoietin receptor (EpoR), which suggests a novel mechanism to determine hematopoietic cell fate. Thus, C/EBPα functions in hematopoietic cell fate decisions by the dual actions of inhibiting erythroid and inducing myeloid gene expression in multipotential progenitors.

rZIP, a RING-leucine zipper protein that regulates cell fate determination during Dictyostelium development

Development ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 124 (6) ◽  
pp. 1203-1213 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Balint-Kurti ◽  
G. Ginsburg ◽  
O. Rivero-Lezcano ◽  
A.R. Kimmel
Keyword(s):  
Cell Fate ◽  
Leucine Zipper ◽  
Phosphorylation Site ◽  
Adaptor Protein ◽  
Specific Gene ◽  
Cell Fate Decisions ◽  
Cellular Aggregation ◽  
Constitutive Overexpression ◽  
Zinc Binding Domain

rZIP is an approx. 32 kDa, multi-domain protein of Dictyostelium discoideum whose structural motifs include a RING (zinc-binding) domain, a leucine zipper, a glutamine repeat, an SH3-binding region and a consensus phosphorylation site for MAP kinase. In vitro, rZIP forms homodimers and interacts specifically with the SH3 domain(s) of the Nck adaptor protein. rZIP is expressed maximally during cell differentiation at approximately equivalent levels in all cells. Disruption of the rZIP gene rzpA results in altered cellular aggregation, impaired slug migration, and aberrant patterning of prespore and prestalk cells, the major progenitor classes. In rzpA- strains, prespore-specific genes are overexpressed and prestalk expression zones are reduced. Conversely, constitutive overexpression of rzpA markedly decreases prespore-specific gene expression and significantly increases the expression of prestalk-specific genes. Further, induced transdifferentiation of prespore cells into prestalk cells is inhibited in rzpA-slugs. In light of these patterning defects, we suggest that the RING/zipper protein rZIP plays an important role in early cell fate decisions in Dictyostelium, acting as a positive regulator of prestalk differentiation and an inhibitor of prespore differentiation.

scholarly journals Histone deacetylase activity is essential for the expression of HoxA9 and for endothelial commitment of progenitor cells

2005 ◽  
Vol 201 (11) ◽  
pp. 1825-1835 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lothar Rössig ◽  
Carmen Urbich ◽  
Thomas Brühl ◽  
Elisabeth Dernbach ◽  
Christopher Heeschen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Progenitor Cells ◽  
Cell Fate ◽  
Histone Deacetylases ◽  
Hdac Inhibitors ◽  
Endothelial Differentiation ◽  
Specific Gene ◽  
Cell Fate Decisions ◽  
Oxide Synthase ◽  
Endothelial Nitric Oxide ◽  
Lineage Specific Gene

The regulation of acetylation is central for the epigenetic control of lineage-specific gene expression and determines cell fate decisions. We provide evidence that the inhibition of histone deacetylases (HDACs) blocks the endothelial differentiation of adult progenitor cells. To define the mechanisms by which HDAC inhibition prevents endothelial differentiation, we determined the expression of homeobox transcription factors and demonstrated that HoxA9 expression is down-regulated by HDAC inhibitors. The causal involvement of HoxA9 in the endothelial differentiation of adult progenitor cells is supported by the finding that HoxA9 overexpression partially rescued the endothelial differentiation blockade induced by HDAC inhibitors. Knockdown and overexpression studies revealed that HoxA9 acts as a master switch to regulate the expression of prototypical endothelial-committed genes such as endothelial nitric oxide synthase, VEGF-R2, and VE-cadherin, and mediates the shear stress–induced maturation of endothelial cells. Consistently, HoxA9-deficient mice exhibited lower numbers of endothelial progenitor cells and showed an impaired postnatal neovascularization capacity after the induction of ischemia. Thus, HoxA9 is regulated by HDACs and is critical for postnatal neovascularization.

scholarly journals Expression of an activated rasD gene changes cell fate decisions during Dictyostelium development.

1997 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 303-312 ◽  
Author(s):  
S A Louis ◽  
G B Spiegelman ◽  
G Weeks
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Cell Fate ◽  
Cell Mass ◽  
Cell Formation ◽  
Specific Gene ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Multicellular Development ◽  
Cell Fate Decisions ◽  
Prespore Cell

It has been previously demonstrated that the expression of an activated rasD gene in wild-type Dictyostelium cells results in formation of aggregates with multitips, instead of the normal single tips, and a block in further development. In an attempt to better understand the role of activated RasD development, we examined cell-type-specific gene expression in a strain stably expressing high levels of RasD[G12T]. We found that the expression of prestalk cell-specific genes ecmA and tagB was markedly enhanced, whereas the expression of the prespore cell-specific gene cotC was reduced to very low levels. When the fate of cells in the multitipped aggregate was monitored with an ecmA/lacZ fusion, it appeared that most of the cells eventually adopted prestalk gene expression characteristics. When mixtures of the [G12T]rasD cells and Ax3 cells were induced to differentiate, chimeric pseudoplasmodia were not formed. Thus, although the [G12T]rasD transformant had a marked propensity to form prestalk cells, it could not supply the prestalk cell population when mixed with wild-type cells. Both stalk and spore cell formation occurred in low cell density monolayers of the [G12T]rasD strain, suggesting that at least part of the inhibition of stalk and spore formation during multicellular development involved inhibitory cell interactions within the cell mass. Models for the possible role of rasD in development are discussed.

scholarly journals MEIS homeodomain proteins facilitate PARP1/ARTD1-mediated eviction of histone H1

2017 ◽  
Vol 216 (9) ◽  
pp. 2715-2729 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann-Christin Hau ◽  
Britta Moyo Grebbin ◽  
Zsuzsa Agoston ◽  
Marie Anders-Maurer ◽  
Tamara Müller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Fate ◽  
Integration Site ◽  
Control Cell ◽  
Chromatin Accessibility ◽  
Specific Gene ◽  
Chromatin Dynamics ◽  
Cell Fate Decisions ◽  
Sequence Of Events ◽  
Undifferentiated Cells ◽  
Mechanistic Basis

Pre–B-cell leukemia homeobox (PBX) and myeloid ecotropic viral integration site (MEIS) proteins control cell fate decisions in many physiological and pathophysiological contexts, but how these proteins function mechanistically remains poorly defined. Focusing on the first hours of neuronal differentiation of adult subventricular zone–derived stem/progenitor cells, we describe a sequence of events by which PBX-MEIS facilitates chromatin accessibility of transcriptionally inactive genes: In undifferentiated cells, PBX1 is bound to the H1-compacted promoter/proximal enhancer of the neuron-specific gene doublecortin (Dcx). Once differentiation is induced, MEIS associates with chromatin-bound PBX1, recruits PARP1/ARTD1, and initiates PARP1-mediated eviction of H1 from the chromatin fiber. These results for the first time link MEIS proteins to PARP-regulated chromatin dynamics and provide a mechanistic basis to explain the profound cellular changes elicited by these proteins.

scholarly journals TET-Mediated Epigenetic Regulation in Immune Cell Development and Disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikolas James Tsiouplis ◽  
David Wesley Bailey ◽  
Lilly Felicia Chiou ◽  
Fiona Jane Wissink ◽  
Ageliki Tsagaratou
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Cell Fate ◽  
Immune Cell ◽  
Cell Development ◽  
Dna Demethylation ◽  
Oxidation Products ◽  
Specific Gene ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Cell Fate Decisions ◽  
Tet Proteins

TET proteins oxidize 5-methylcytosine (5mC) to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) and further oxidation products in DNA. The oxidized methylcytosines (oxi-mCs) facilitate DNA demethylation and are also novel epigenetic marks. TET loss-of-function is strongly associated with cancer; TET2 loss-of-function mutations are frequently observed in hematological malignancies that are resistant to conventional therapies. Importantly, TET proteins govern cell fate decisions during development of various cell types by activating a cell-specific gene expression program. In this review, we seek to provide a conceptual framework of the mechanisms that fine tune TET activity. Then, we specifically focus on the multifaceted roles of TET proteins in regulating gene expression in immune cell development, function, and disease.

scholarly journals Rescue of Notch signaling in cells incapable of GDP-l-fucose synthesis by gap junction transfer of GDP-l-fucose in Drosophila

2012 ◽  
Vol 109 (38) ◽  
pp. 15318-15323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomonori Ayukawa ◽  
Kenjiroo Matsumoto ◽  
Hiroyuki O. Ishikawa ◽  
Akira Ishio ◽  
Tomoko Yamakawa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ligand Binding ◽  
Gap Junction ◽  
Cell Fate ◽  
Molecular Basis ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Biosynthetic Pathways ◽  
Cell Fate Decisions ◽  
Isolated Organs ◽  
Nucleotide Sugars ◽  
Glycan Modification

Notch (N) is a transmembrane receptor that mediates cell–cell interactions to determine many cell-fate decisions. N contains EGF-like repeats, many of which have an O-fucose glycan modification that regulates N-ligand binding. This modification requires GDP-l-fucose as a donor of fucose. The GDP-l-fucose biosynthetic pathways are well understood, including the de novo pathway, which depends on GDP-mannose 4,6 dehydratase (Gmd) and GDP-4-keto-6-deoxy-d-mannose 3,5-epimerase/4-reductase (Gmer). However, the potential for intercellularly supplied GDP-l-fucose and the molecular basis of such transportation have not been explored in depth. To address these points, we studied the genetic effects of mutating Gmd and Gmer on fucose modifications in Drosophila. We found that these mutants functioned cell-nonautonomously, and that GDP-l-fucose was supplied intercellularly through gap junctions composed of Innexin-2. GDP-l-fucose was not supplied through body fluids from different isolated organs, indicating that the intercellular distribution of GDP-l-fucose is restricted within a given organ. Moreover, the gap junction-mediated supply of GDP-l-fucose was sufficient to support the fucosylation of N-glycans and the O-fucosylation of the N EGF-like repeats. Our results indicate that intercellular delivery is a metabolic pathway for nucleotide sugars in live animals under certain circumstances.

scholarly journals PRMT6 activates cyclin D1 expression in conjunction with the transcription factor LEF1

Oncogenesis ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucas Schneider ◽  
Stefanie Herkt ◽  
Lei Wang ◽  
Christine Feld ◽  
Josephine Wesely ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Transcription Factors ◽  
Cyclin D1 ◽  
Cell Fate ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Specific Gene ◽  
Cell Fate Decisions ◽  
Rational Development ◽  
Differentiation And Proliferation

AbstractThe establishment of cell type specific gene expression by transcription factors and their epigenetic cofactors is central for cell fate decisions. Protein arginine methyltransferase 6 (PRMT6) is an epigenetic regulator of gene expression mainly through methylating arginines at histone H3. This way it influences cellular differentiation and proliferation. PRMT6 lacks DNA-binding capability but is recruited by transcription factors to regulate gene expression. However, currently only a limited number of transcription factors have been identified, which facilitate recruitment of PRMT6 to key cell cycle related target genes. Here, we show that LEF1 contributes to the recruitment of PRMT6 to the central cell cycle regulator CCND1 (Cyclin D1). We identified LEF1 as an interaction partner of PRMT6. Knockdown of LEF1 or PRMT6 reduces CCND1 expression. This is in line with our observation that knockdown of PRMT6 increases the number of cells in G1 phase of the cell cycle and decreases proliferation. These results improve the understanding of PRMT6 activity in cell cycle regulation. We expect that these insights will foster the rational development and usage of specific PRMT6 inhibitors for cancer therapy.

scholarly journals Deciphering cell lineage specification during male sex determination with single-cell RNA sequencing

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabelle Stévant ◽  
Yasmine Neirjinck ◽  
Christelle Borel ◽  
Jessica Escoffier ◽  
Lee B. Smith ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Determination ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
Progenitor Cells ◽  
Rna Sequencing ◽  
Cell Fate ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Cell Lineage ◽  
Lineage Specification ◽  
Cell Fate Decisions ◽  
Single Cell Rna Sequencing

SummaryThe gonad is a unique biological system for studying cell fate decisions. However, major questions remain regarding the identity of somatic progenitor cells and the transcriptional events driving cell differentiation. Using time course single cell RNA sequencing on XY mouse gonads during sex determination, we identified a single population of somatic progenitor cells prior sex determination. A subset of these progenitors differentiate into Sertoli cells, a process characterized by a highly dynamic genetic program consisting of sequential waves of gene expression. Another subset of multipotent cells maintains their progenitor state but undergo significant transcriptional changes that restrict their competence towards a steroidogenic fate required for the differentiation of fetal Leydig cells. These results question the dogma of the existence of two distinct somatic cell lineages at the onset of sex determination and propose a new model of lineage specification from a unique progenitor cell population.

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