Division of Developmental Genetics, MRC National Institute for Medical Research, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London NW7 AA, UK.
Int J Biochem Cell Biol. 2010 Mar;42(3):417-20. doi: 10.1016/j.biocel.2009.12.005. Epub 2009 Dec 18.
Sry (sex-determining region Y) is the sex-determining gene on the mammalian Y chromosome, which encodes a transcription factor containing a DNA-binding domain characteristic of some high mobility group proteins (HMG box). It is the founder member of the Sox (Sry-related HMG box) gene family and is therefore classified in the Sox A group. In mice, the transient expression of Sry between 10.5 and 12.5 dpc triggers the differentiation of Sertoli cells from the supporting cell precursor lineage, which would otherwise give rise to granulosa cells in ovaries. However, little was known about the target genes of SRY and molecular mechanisms how SRY leads to testis development. Recent work has provided evidence that SRY binds directly to a testis-specific enhancer of Sox9 (TES) and activates Sox9 expression in co-operation with steroidogenic factor 1 (SF1). Furthermore, this SRY action is limited to a certain time period during embryogenesis.
Sry（性别决定区 Y）是哺乳动物 Y 染色体上的性别决定基因，它编码一种转录因子，含有一些高迁移率族蛋白（HMG 盒）的 DNA 结合域特征。它是 Sox（Sry 相关 HMG 盒）基因家族的创始成员，因此被归类于 Sox A 组。在小鼠中，Sry 在 10.5 至 12.5 dpc 之间的瞬时表达触发了支持细胞前体谱系中 Sertoli 细胞的分化，否则该谱系将在卵巢中产生颗粒细胞。然而，关于 SRY 的靶基因以及 SRY 如何导致睾丸发育的分子机制知之甚少。最近的工作提供了证据表明，SRY 直接与 Sox9 的睾丸特异性增强子（TES）结合，并与类固醇生成因子 1（SF1）合作激活 Sox9 的表达。此外，这种 SRY 作用仅限于胚胎发生过程中的某个特定时间段。
