Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), Portland, OR 97239, USA.
Brain Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN 59078-970, Brazil.
Cell Rep. 2022 Aug 2;40(5):111152. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111152.
We present the transcriptomic changes underlying the development of an extreme neuroanatomical sex difference. The robust nucleus of the arcopallium (RA) is a key component of the songbird vocal motor system. In zebra finch, the RA is initially monomorphic and then atrophies in females but grows up to 7-fold larger in males. Mirroring this divergence, we show here that sex-differential gene expression in the RA expands from hundreds of predominantly sex chromosome Z genes in early development to thousands of predominantly autosomal genes by the time sexual dimorphism asymptotes. Male-specific developmental processes include cell and axonal growth, synapse assembly and activity, and energy metabolism; female-specific processes include cell polarity and differentiation, transcriptional repression, and steroid hormone and immune signaling. Transcription factor binding site analyses support female-biased activation of pro-apoptotic regulatory networks. The extensive and sex-specific transcriptomic reorganization of RA provides insights into potential drivers of sexually dimorphic neurodevelopment.
我们介绍了极端神经解剖性别差异发展的转录组变化。弓状核（RA）是鸣禽发声运动系统的关键组成部分。在斑胸草雀中，RA 最初是单态的，然后在雌性中萎缩，但在雄性中生长高达 7 倍。与此相呼应，我们在这里表明，RA 中的性别差异表达从早期发育中数百个主要位于性染色体 Z 上的基因扩展到性二态性达到渐近时的数千个主要位于常染色体上的基因。雄性特有的发育过程包括细胞和轴突生长、突触组装和活性以及能量代谢；雌性特有的过程包括细胞极性和分化、转录抑制以及甾体激素和免疫信号。转录因子结合位点分析支持促凋亡调控网络的雌性偏向性激活。RA 的广泛和性别特异性转录组重排为研究潜在的性二态神经发育驱动因素提供了线索。
