1. Anatomical and molecular analyses of XY ovaries from the African pygmy mouse Mus minutoides.
- Author
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Rahmoun M, Perez J, Saunders PA, Boizet-Bonhoure B, Wilhelm D, Poulat F, and Veyrunes F
- Subjects
- Africa, Animals, Body Weight, Female, Gene Expression Regulation, Male, Mice, Phenotype, RNA, Messenger genetics, RNA, Messenger metabolism, Sex-Determining Region Y Protein metabolism, Testis metabolism, Chromosomes, Mammalian genetics, Ovary anatomy & histology, Ovary metabolism, Sex Determination Processes genetics, X Chromosome genetics, Y Chromosome genetics
- Abstract
The African pygmy mouse Mus minutoides is characterized by the presence of a high proportion of fertile XY females in natural populations. This species displays 2 morphologically different X chromosomes: the ancestral X and a shorter one designated as X*, feminizing the X*Y individuals. This strongly suggests that in the presence of an X* chromosome, the male differentiation program is not activated despite a functional Y chromosome. In this study, we compared the histology of the adult ovaries of the 3 female genotypes (XX, XX* and X*Y) and investigated the expression of some of the main genes involved in male and female differentiation. We found that X*Y gonads display a typical ovarian structure without any testicular organization. Moreover, the ovarian somatic marker FOXL2 is detected in X*Y follicle cells and exhibits the same pattern as in XX and XX* ovaries, whereas SOX9 and DMRT1 are absent at all stages of follicular differentiation. However, surprisingly, X*Y ovaries display a higher level of Sry transcripts compared to testes. Our findings confirm the complete sex reversal in X*Y individuals with no apparent sign of masculinization, providing an attractive model to unravel new gene interactions involved in the mammalian sex determination system., (© 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel.)
- Published
- 2014
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