Department of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development, University of Minnesota, 6-160 Jackson Hall, 321 Church Street SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA.
Nat Rev Genet. 2012 Feb 7;13(3):163-74. doi: 10.1038/nrg3161.
Most animals reproduce sexually, but the genetic and molecular mechanisms that determine the eventual sex of each embryo vary remarkably. DM domain genes, which are related to the insect gene doublesex, are integral to sexual development and its evolution in many metazoans. Recent studies of DM domain genes reveal mechanisms by which new sexual dimorphisms have evolved in invertebrates and show that one gene, Dmrt1, was central to multiple evolutionary transitions between sex-determining mechanisms in vertebrates. In addition, Dmrt1 coordinates a surprising array of distinct cell fate decisions in the mammalian gonad and even guards against transdifferentiation of male cells into female cells in the adult testis.
大多数动物通过有性繁殖来繁殖后代，但决定每个胚胎最终性别的遗传和分子机制差异很大。DM 结构域基因与昆虫基因 doublesex 有关，是许多后生动物性发育及其进化的重要组成部分。最近对 DM 结构域基因的研究揭示了新的性二态性在无脊椎动物中进化的机制，并表明一个基因 Dmrt1 是脊椎动物性别决定机制之间多次进化转变的核心。此外，Dmrt1 协调了哺乳动物性腺中一系列惊人的不同细胞命运决定，甚至可以防止成年睾丸中雄性细胞向雌性细胞的转分化。
