Department of Genetics, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106-4955, USA.
Curr Opin Genet Dev. 2011 Aug;21(4):395-400. doi: 10.1016/j.gde.2011.03.001. Epub 2011 Apr 5.
The gene regulatory networks that control sex determination vary between species. Despite these differences, comparative studies in insects have found that alternative splicing is reiteratively used in evolution to control expression of the key sex-determining genes. Sex determination is best understood in Drosophila where activation of the RNA binding protein-encoding gene Sex-lethal is the central female-determining event. Sex-lethal serves as a genetic switch because once activated it controls its own expression by a positive feedback splicing mechanism. Sex fate choice in is also maintained by self-sustaining positive feedback splicing mechanisms in other dipteran and hymenopteran insects, although different RNA binding protein-encoding genes function as the binary switch. Studies exploring the mechanisms of sex-specific splicing have revealed the extent to which sex determination is integrated with other developmental regulatory networks.
控制性别决定的基因调控网络在物种间存在差异。尽管存在这些差异，但昆虫的比较研究发现，选择性剪接在进化中被反复用于控制关键性别决定基因的表达。性别决定在果蝇中最为明显，其中 RNA 结合蛋白编码基因 Sex-lethal 的激活是中央雌性决定事件。Sex-lethal 充当遗传开关，因为一旦被激活，它就通过正反馈剪接机制控制自身的表达。在其他双翅目和膜翅目昆虫中，性别命运的选择也通过自我维持的正反馈剪接机制来维持，尽管不同的 RNA 结合蛋白编码基因作为二进制开关发挥作用。探索性别特异性剪接机制的研究揭示了性别决定与其他发育调控网络的整合程度。
