A genetically female brain is required for a regular reproductive cycle in chicken brain chimeras
A genetically female brain is required for a regular reproductive cycle in chicken brain chimeras
复制标题
鸡脑嵌合体的正常繁殖周期需要基因上的女性大脑
DOI：
10.1038/ncomms2372
复制
发表时间：
2013
影响因子：
16.6
通讯作者：
Fumihiko Maekawa
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
山中賢一;Fumihiko Maekawa
性别差异导致男女之间的结构和行为差异。在这里，我们调查的内在性别身份的大脑构建鸡嵌合体中，大脑原基之间切换的男性和女性的身份性腺发育之前。我们发现，雌性嵌合体与男性大脑显示延迟性成熟和不规则的产卵周期，虽然他们的行为，性类固醇和促黄体激素水平的血浆浓度是正常的。具有雌性大脑的雄性嵌合体表现出与典型公鸡相似的表型。在围产期，遗传男性大脑中的雌激素浓度高于遗传女性大脑。我们的研究表明，男性脑细胞保留了男性的性别身份，即使处于女性荷尔蒙环境中，也不会分化成女性细胞来驱动正常的发情周期。这是一个明确的证据，性别特异性功能的发展独立于性腺类固醇。
Sexual differentiation leads to structural and behavioural differences between males and females. Here we investigate the intrinsic sex identity of the brain by constructing chicken chimeras in which the brain primordium is switched between male and female identities before gonadal development. We find that the female chimeras with male brains display delayed sexual maturation and irregular oviposition cycles, although their behaviour, plasma concentrations of sex steroids and luteinizing hormone levels are normal. The male chimeras with female brains show phenotypes similar to typical cocks. In the perinatal period, oestrogen concentrations in the genetically male brain are higher than those in the genetically female brain. Our study demonstrates that male brain cells retain male sex identity and do not differentiate into female cells to drive the normal oestrous cycle, even when situated in the female hormonal milieu. This is clear evidence for a sex-specific feature that develops independent of gonadal steroids.