Search for the sex-determining switch in monotremes: Mapping WT1, SF1, LHX1, LHX2, FGF9, WNT4, RSPO1 and GATA4 in platypus

Daria Grafodatskaya, Willem Rens, Mary C. Wallis, Vladimir Trifonov, Patricia C.M. O'Brien, Oliver Clarke, Jennifer A.M. Graves, Malcolm A. Ferguson-Smith*

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    21 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    The duck-billed platypus has five pairs of sex chromosomes, but there is no information about the primary sex-determining switch in this species. As there is no apparent SRY orthologue in platypus, another gene must acquire the function of a key regulator of the gonadal male or female fate. SOX9 was ruled out from being this key regulator as it maps to an autosome in platypus. To check whether other genes in mammalian gonadogenesis could be the primary switch in monotremes, we have mapped a number of candidates in platypus. We report here the autosomal location of WT1, SF1, LHX1, LHX9, FGF9, WNT4 and RSPO1 in platypus, thus excluding these from being key regulators of sex determination in this species. We found that GATA4 maps to sex chromosomes Y1 and X2; however, it lies in the pairing region shown by chromosome painting to be homologous, so is unlikely to be either male-specific or differentially dosed in male and female.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)777-785
    Number of pages9
    JournalChromosome Research
    Volume15
    Issue number6
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Oct 2007

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