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Journal ArticleDOI

Aromatase enzyme activity and sex determination in chickens

Alex Elbrecht, +1 more
- 24 Jan 1992 - 
- Vol. 255, Iss: 5043, pp 467-470
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TLDR
This work has identified aromatase as a key developmental switch in the sex determination of chickens that causes genetic females to develop a permanent male phenotype.
Abstract
During development, the genotype of the zygote determines the nature of the gonad, which then determines the male or female phenotype. The molecular events underlying this process are just beginning to be defined. A single treatment of chicken embryos with an aromatase inhibitor (which blocks the synthesis of estrogen from testosterone) at a stage when their gonads were bipotential caused genetic females to develop a permanent male phenotype. These sex-reversed females developed bilateral testes that were capable of complete spermatogenesis and had the physical appearance and behavior of normal males. This result identifies aromatase as a key developmental switch in the sex determination of chickens.

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Health Effects of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals on Wildlife, with Special Reference to the European Situation

TL;DR: Many wildlife species may be exposed to biologically active concentrations of endocrine-disrupting chemicals, and although most observed effects currently reported concern heavily polluted areas, endocrine disruption is a potential global problem.
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Sox9 expression during gonadal development implies a conserved role for the gene in testis differentiation in mammals and birds

TL;DR: It is found that Sox9 expression closely follows differentiation of Sertoli cells in the mouse testis, in experimental sex reversal when fetal ovaries are grafted to adult kidneys and in the chick where there is no evidence for a Sry gene.
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The avian Z-linked gene DMRT1 is required for male sex determination in the chicken

TL;DR: RNA interference is used to knock down DMRT1 in early chicken embryos to support the Z dosage hypothesis for avian sex determination, and results indicate that D MRT1 is required for testis determination in the chicken.
Journal ArticleDOI

Ovarian aromatase and estrogens: A pivotal role for gonadal sex differentiation and sex change in fish

TL;DR: A broader hypothesis is extended that would place estrogens and Cyp19a1a in a pivotal position to control not only ovarian, but also testicular differentiation, in both gonochoristic and hermaphrodite fish species.
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The Steroid Hormone Biosynthesis Pathway as a Target for Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals

TL;DR: This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the state of knowledge regarding the mechanisms by which chemicals interfere with the function of steroidogenic enzymes in various tissues and organisms.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI

A gene from the human sex-determining region encodes a protein with homology to a conserved DNA-binding motif

TL;DR: A search of a 35-kilobase region of the human Y chromosome necessary for male sex determination has resulted in the identification of a new gene, termed SRY (for sex-determining region Y) and proposed to be a candidate for the elusive testis-d determining gene, TDF.
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A gene mapping to the sex-determining region of the mouse Y chromosome is a member of a novel family of embryonically expressed genes

TL;DR: A gene mapping to the sex-determining region of the mouse Y chromosome is deleted in a line of XY female mice mutant for Tdy, and is expressed at a stage during male gonadal development consistent with its having a role in testis determination.
Journal ArticleDOI

Abnormal sexual development in transgenic mice chronically expressing müllerian inhibiting substance.

TL;DR: The results suggest that MIS has several distinct roles in mammalian sexual development, including feminization of the external genitalia, impairment of Wolffian duct development, and undescended testes in transgenic males.
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Studies on the mechanism of estrogen biosynthesis. 8. The development of inhibitors of the enzyme system in human placenta.

TL;DR: Structural features of over 100 steroids and some non—steroids were evaluated systematically as inhibitors of estrogen biosynthesis in human placental microsomes and the 17–keto was superior to the 17P—hydroxy group in providing inhibitory properties in all cases.
Journal ArticleDOI

A new cause of female pseudohermaphroditism: placental aromatase deficiency.

TL;DR: A description is presented of the first documented case of placental aromatase deficiency, which caused maternal virilization during pregnancy and pseudohermaphroditism of the female fetus.
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