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This review is dedicated to the memory of Giuseppe Pilia.
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Review article
Determination and stability of sex†
Article first published online: 22 DEC 2006
DOI: 10.1002/bies.20515
Published 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Additional Information
How to Cite
Ottolenghi, C., Uda, M., Crisponi, L., Omari, S., Cao, A., Forabosco, A. and Schlessinger, D. (2007), Determination and stability of sex. Bioessays, 29: 15–25. doi: 10.1002/bies.20515
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Publication History
- Issue published online: 22 DEC 2006
- Article first published online: 22 DEC 2006
Funded by
- S.O. is in the Graduate Genetics Program, The George Washington University, Washington, D.C., USA 20052. This research was supported by the Intramural Research Program of the NIH, National Institute on Aging, and by Telethon grant GP0049Y01
- Abstract
- References
- Cited By
Abstract
How is the embryonic bipotential gonad regulated to produce either an ovary or a testis? In males, transient early activation of the Y chromosome Sry gene makes both germ cells and soma male. However, in females, available evidence suggests that the process of ovary sex determination may take place independently in the germline and somatic lineages. In addition, in contrast to testis, in ovary somatic cells, female-to-male gonadal sex reversal can occur at times throughout ovary development and maturation. We suggest that a single gene pathway, likely hinging on the Foxl2 transcription factor, both initiates and maintains sex differentiation in somatic cells of the mammalian ovary. BioEssays 29: 15–25, 2007. Published 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.