Aljabali Shefa' M, Pai Shruta, Teperino Raffaele
Institute of Experimental Genetics, Helmholtz Munich GmbH, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany.
DZD - German Center for Diabetes Research, Neuherberg, Germany.
Front Cell Dev Biol. 2024 Dec 6;12:1520783. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2024.1520783. eCollection 2024.
Sexual dimorphism involves distinct anatomical, physiological, behavioral, and developmental differences between males and females of the same species, influenced by factors prior to conception and during early development. These sex-specific traits contribute to varied phenotypes and individual disease risks within and across generations and understanding them is essential in mammalian studies. Hormones, sex chromosomes, and imprinted genes drive this dimorphism, with over half of quantitative traits in wildtype mice showing sex-based variation. This review focuses on the impact of paternal non-genetic factors on sexual dimorphism. We synthesize current research on how paternal health before conception affects offspring phenotypes in a sex-specific manner, examining mechanisms such as DNA methylation, paternally imprinted genes, sperm RNA, and seminal plasma. Additionally, we explore how paternal influences indirectly shape offspring through maternal behavior, uterine environment, and placental changes, affecting males and females differently. We propose mechanisms modulating sexual dimorphism during development, underscoring the need for sex-specific documentation in animal studies.
性二态性涉及同一物种雄性和雌性之间明显的解剖学、生理学、行为学和发育差异，受受孕前和早期发育期间的因素影响。这些性别特异性特征导致了不同代内和代间的多种表型和个体疾病风险，了解它们在哺乳动物研究中至关重要。激素、性染色体和印记基因驱动这种二态性，野生型小鼠中超过一半的数量性状表现出基于性别的差异。本综述重点关注父本非遗传因素对性二态性的影响。我们综合了当前关于受孕前父本健康如何以性别特异性方式影响后代表型的研究，研究了DNA甲基化、父本印记基因、精子RNA和精浆等机制。此外，我们探讨了父本影响如何通过母性行为、子宫环境和胎盘变化间接塑造后代，对雄性和雌性产生不同影响。我们提出了在发育过程中调节性二态性的机制，强调了在动物研究中进行性别特异性记录的必要性。
