FOXL2 versus SOX9: A lifelong "battle of the sexes"

Testis determination in most mammals is regulated by a genetic hierarchy initiated by the SRY gene. Early ovarian development has long been thought of as a default pathway switched on passively by the absence of SRY. Recent studies challenge this view and show that the ovary constantly represses mal...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:BioEssays 2010-05, Vol.32 (5), p.375-380
Main Author: Veitia, Reiner A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Development Biology
Female
Forkhead Transcription Factors
Forkhead Transcription Factors - genetics
Forkhead Transcription Factors - metabolism
FOXL2
Humans
Life Sciences
Male
Models, Biological
ovarian maintenance
Ovary
Ovary - metabolism
Ovary - physiology
ovary determination
Sex Determination (Genetics)
Sex Determination Processes
SOX9 Transcription Factor
SOX9 Transcription Factor - genetics
SOX9 Transcription Factor - metabolism
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Summary:Testis determination in most mammals is regulated by a genetic hierarchy initiated by the SRY gene. Early ovarian development has long been thought of as a default pathway switched on passively by the absence of SRY. Recent studies challenge this view and show that the ovary constantly represses male‐specific genes, from embryonic stages to adulthood. Notably, the absence of the crucial ovarian transcription factor FOXL2 (alone or in combination with other factors) induces a derepression of male‐specific genes during development, postnatally and, even more interestingly, during adulthood. Strikingly, in the adult, targeted ablation of Foxl2 leads to a molecular transdifferentiation of the supporting cells of the ovary, which acquire cytological and transcriptomic characteristics of the supporting cells of the testes. These studies bring many answers to the field of gonadal determination, differentiation and maintenance, but also open many questions.
ISSN:0265-9247
1521-1878
DOI:10.1002/bies.200900193