Disorders of sex development often arise from anomalies in the molecular or cellular networks that guide the differentiation of the embryonic gonad into either a testis or an ovary, two functionally distinct organs. The activation of the Y-linked gene Sry (sex-determining region Y) and its downstream target Sox9 (Sry box-containing gene 9) triggers testis differentiation by stimulating the diff...

The evolution of morphological characters is mediated by the evolution of developmental genes. Evolutionary changes can either affect cis-regulatory elements, leading to differences in their temporal and spatial regulation, or affect the coding region. Although there is ample evidence for the importance of cis-regulatory evolution, it has only recently been shown that transcription factors do n...

In recent years, librarians in various sectors have been moving forward a conversation on the distinct information needs and information-seeking behavior of our lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer (LGBTQ) patrons and how well the profession recognizes and meets those needs. Health sciences librarianship has been slower than other areas of the profession in creating an evidence base coverin...

It is now clear that mechanisms of sex determination are extraordinarily labile, with considerable variation across all taxonomic levels. This variation is often expressed through differences in the genetic system (XX-XY, XX-XO, haplodiploidy, and so on). Why there is so much variation in such a seemingly fundamental process has attracted much attention, with recent ideas concentrating on the p...

Each Drosophila genital imaginal disc contains primordia for both male and female genitalia and analia. The sexually dimorphic development of this disc is governed by the sex-specific expression of doublesex (dsx). We present data that substantially revises our understanding of how dsx controls growth and differentiation in the genital disc. The classical view of genital disc development is tha...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Family history is important risk factor for intracranial aneurysms (ICA), but the pattern of inheritance is unsettled. If ICA within families would cluster according to sex, this may have implications for risk prediction and screening advice within families. We assessed the relationship between the sex of probands and their affected first-degree relatives (FDRs) within fa...

We examined the genetics of hybrid incompatibility between two closely related diploid hermaphroditic plant species. Using a set of near-isogenic lines (NILs) representing 85% of the genome of the wild species Lycopersicon hirsutum (Solanum habrochaites) in the genetic background of the cultivated tomato L. esculentum (S. lycopersicum), we found that hybrid pollen and seed infertility are each ...

Generating a precise cellular and molecular cartography of the human embryo is essential to our understanding of the mechanisms of organogenesis in normal and pathological conditions. Here, we have combined whole-mount immunostaining, 3DISCO clearing, and light-sheet imaging to start building a 3D cellular map of the human development during the first trimester of gestation. We provide high-res...

Although the sex-determining gene SRY/Sry has been identified in mammals, homologues and genes that have a similar function have yet to be identified in nonmammalian vertebrates. Recently, DMY (the DM-domain gene on the Y chromosome) was cloned from the sex-determining region on the Y chromosome of the teleost fish medaka (Oryzias latipes). DMY has been shown to be required for the normal devel...

BACKGROUND After mating, Drosophila females undergo a remarkable phenotypic switch resulting in decreased sexual receptivity and increased egg laying. Transfer of male sex peptide (SP) during copulation mediates these postmating responses via sensory neurons that coexpress the sex-determination gene fruitless (fru) and the proprioceptive neuronal marker pickpocket (ppk) in the female reproducti...