Piprek Rafal P, Damulewicz Milena, Kloc Malgorzata, Kubiak Jacek Z
Department of Comparative Anatomy, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland.
Department of Cell Biology and Imagining, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland.
Differentiation. 2018 Mar-Apr;100:46-56. doi: 10.1016/j.diff.2018.02.004. Epub 2018 Mar 2.
Development of the gonads is a complex process, which starts with a period of undifferentiated, bipotential gonads. During this period the expression of sex-determining genes is initiated. Sex determination is a process triggering differentiation of the gonads into the testis or ovary. Sex determination period is followed by sexual differentiation, i.e. appearance of the first testis- and ovary-specific features. In Xenopus laevis W-linked DM-domain gene (DM-W) had been described as a master determinant of the gonadal female sex. However, the data on the expression and function of other genes participating in gonad development in X. laevis, and in anurans, in general, are very limited. We applied microarray technique to analyze the expression pattern of a subset of X. laevis genes previously identified to be involved in gonad development in several vertebrate species. We also analyzed the localization and the expression level of proteins encoded by these genes in developing X. laevis gonads. These analyses pointed to the set of genes differentially expressed in developing testes and ovaries. Gata4, Sox9, Dmrt1, Amh, Fgf9, Ptgds, Pdgf, Fshr, and Cyp17a1 expression was upregulated in developing testes, while DM-W, Fst, Foxl2, and Cyp19a1 were upregulated in developing ovaries. We discuss the possible roles of these genes in development of X. laevis gonads.
性腺的发育是一个复杂的过程，始于一段未分化的双潜能性腺时期。在此期间，性别决定基因开始表达。性别决定是一个触发性腺分化为睾丸或卵巢的过程。性别决定期之后是性分化，即首次出现睾丸和卵巢特异性特征。在非洲爪蟾中，W连锁的DM结构域基因（DM-W）被描述为性腺雌性性别的主要决定因素。然而，关于非洲爪蟾以及一般无尾两栖类中参与性腺发育的其他基因的表达和功能的数据非常有限。我们应用微阵列技术分析了非洲爪蟾中先前确定在几种脊椎动物物种中参与性腺发育的一组基因的表达模式。我们还分析了这些基因在发育中的非洲爪蟾性腺中编码的蛋白质的定位和表达水平。这些分析指出了在发育中的睾丸和卵巢中差异表达的一组基因。Gata4、Sox9、Dmrt1、Amh、Fgf9、Ptgds、Pdgf、Fshr和Cyp17a1在发育中的睾丸中表达上调，而DM-W、Fst、Foxl2和Cyp19a1在发育中的卵巢中表达上调。我们讨论了这些基因在非洲爪蟾性腺发育中的可能作用。
