MARBEC, Univ Montpellier, Ifremer, IRD, CNRS, Montpellier, France.
Trends Endocrinol Metab. 2022 Oct;33(10):670-679. doi: 10.1016/j.tem.2022.07.002. Epub 2022 Aug 4.
In recent years, observations of distinct organisms have linked the quality of the environment experienced by a given individual and the sex it will develop. In most described cases, facing relatively harsh conditions resulted in masculinization, while thriving in favorable conditions promoted the development of an ovary. This was shown indistinctively in some species presenting a genetic sex determination (GSD), which were able to sex-reverse, and in species with an environmental sex determination (ESD) system. However, this pattern strongly depends on evolutionary constrains and is detected only when females need more energy for reproduction. Here, I describe the mechanisms involved in this environmentally driven sex allocation (EDSA), which involves two main energy pathways, lipid and carbohydrate metabolism. These pathways act through various enzymes and are not necessarily independent of the previously known transducers of environmental signals in species with ESD: calcium-redox, epigenetic, and stress regulation pathways. Overall, there is evidence of a link between energy level and the sexual fate of individuals of various species, including reptiles, fish, amphibians, insects, and nematodes. As energy pathways are evolutionarily conserved, this knowledge opens new avenues to advance our understanding of the mechanisms that allow animals to adapt their sex according to the local environment.
近年来，对不同生物的观察表明，个体所经历的环境质量与其发育的性别存在关联。在大多数描述的案例中，面临相对恶劣的条件会导致雄性化，而在有利条件下则会促进卵巢的发育。这在具有遗传性别决定（GSD）的某些物种中表现得非常明显，这些物种能够进行性别反转，而在具有环境性别决定（ESD）系统的物种中也是如此。然而，这种模式强烈依赖于进化限制，并且仅在雌性需要更多能量进行繁殖时才能检测到。在这里，我描述了这种环境驱动的性别分配（EDSA）所涉及的机制，它涉及两条主要的能量途径，即脂质和碳水化合物代谢。这些途径通过各种酶起作用，并且不一定独立于具有 ESD 的物种中先前已知的环境信号转导物：钙-氧化还原、表观遗传和应激调节途径。总的来说，有证据表明，包括爬行动物、鱼类、两栖动物、昆虫和线虫在内的各种物种的个体的能量水平与其性命运之间存在联系。由于能量途径在进化上是保守的，因此这一知识为我们深入了解动物根据当地环境适应其性别的机制开辟了新的途径。
