AI Article Synopsis
- - This study focuses on how sex is determined in mammals, particularly through the role of specific cells in gonad development – Sertoli for testes and pregranulosa for ovaries.
- - Researchers discovered that a particular form of the Wilms tumor suppressor gene, known as -KTS, plays a crucial role in determining female sex; lack of this variant hindered gonad differentiation in mice.
- - The findings highlight that increased levels of -KTS can cause premature ovary development in XY embryos, leading to male-to-female sex reversal, indicating the importance of when this gene is activated in sexual differentiation.
Article Abstract
Sex determination in mammals depends on the differentiation of the supporting lineage of the gonads into Sertoli or pregranulosa cells that govern testis and ovary development, respectively. Although the Y-linked testis-determining gene has been identified, the ovarian-determining factor remains unknown. In this study, we identified -KTS, a major, alternatively spliced isoform of the Wilms tumor suppressor WT1, as a key determinant of female sex determination. Loss of - variants blocked gonadal differentiation in mice, whereas increased expression, as found in Frasier syndrome, induced precocious differentiation of ovaries independently of their genetic sex. In XY embryos, this antagonized expression, resulting in male-to-female sex reversal. Our results identify -KTS as an ovarian-determining factor and demonstrate that its time of activation is critical in gonadal sex differentiation.
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Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7615308 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.add8831 | DOI Listing |
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