Lecture 3 Flashcards
(94 cards)
sexual differentiation
The process by which individuals develop the characteristics associated with being male or female
the primary step in sexual differentiation occurs at
fertilization
sex determination
The point at which an individual begins to develop as either a male or a female.
main event in sex determination
fusion of egg and sperm
In mammals, chromosomal sex:
homogametic sex (XX) is female
heterogametic sex (XY) is male
Describe the steps from chromosomal sex to behavioural sex
chromosomal sex -> gonadal sex -> hormonal sex -> morphological sex -> behavioural sex
Sexual Differentiation
The developmental process of becoming male or female.
__ is fundamental during sexual differentiation and determines __
CHROMOSOMAL SEX is fundamental during sexual differentiation and determines GONADAL SEX
chromosomal sex
The sex of an individual as determined by the sex chromosomes that an individual receives at fertilization.
homogametic sex
The sex that has two similar sex chromo- somes. Except for birds and some reptiles, female vertebrate animals are the homogametic sex because they have two X chromosomes.
gonadal sex
The sex of an individual as determined by the possession of either ovaries or testes. Females have ovaries, whereas males have testes.
gametic sex
The sex of an individual as determined by the production of ova by females and sperm by males.
hormonal sex
The sex of an individual as determined by the concentration of androgens and estrogens. Males tend to have higher androgen concen- trations, while females tend to have higher estrogen concen- trations.
morphological sex
The sex of an individual as determined by body form.
behavioral sex
The sex of an individual as discriminated on the basis of male-typical and female-typical behaviors.
gender identity
The psycho- logical self-perception of being either male or female.
Chromosomal sex* is fundamental during sexual differentiation and determines
gonadal sex
SRY gene:
Sex-determining region of the Y chromosome; the gene that is responsible for the transformation of the undifferentiated gonad into a testis.
SRY gene, gives rise to SRY protein (SRY protein also referred TDF-testis determining factor), SRY protein binds to SF-1: they form a transcription factor that regulates the transcription of the SOX9 gene
The primary step in the process of mammalian sexual differentiation occurs at
fertilization
ovum can be fertilized by a sperm bearing either an X or a Y chromo- some (FIGURE 3.8). This event, called
sex determination
germinal ridge
A thickened ridge of tissue on the ventrome- dial surface of each mesoneph- ros of an embryo that has the potential to develop into either a testis or an ovary.
. In most mammals studied to date, whether the germinal ridge will develop into a testis or an ovary is determined by
the cellular expression of a gene known as SRY (sex-determining region on the Y chromosome
When the protein products of these two genes (SRY and SOX9)
are produced:
the middle (medulla) of the germinal ridge devel-
ops and a testis forms
If products of the SRY or
SOX9 genes are not produced, or the genes are not expressed in
the required sequence, then
the outer part of the germinal ridge
(the cortex) develops and an ovary is formed
*in some cases
neither testes nor ovaries are formed.