Sex Determination and Sex Differentiation

G B Protyusha,Sivapathasundharam B

doi:10.18311/jfds/12/1/2020.12

Abstract

Sex determination is arguably the most defining moment of our lives, the point where we inherit X or Y chromosome from our father. This initiates a cascade of events that sets in a train of morphological changes, genetic regulations and molecular mechanisms. Following this, our fate is further sealed during sex differentiation and gonadal development owing to the action of sex-specific gonadal hormones. Therefore, the profoundly divergent journeys of male and female lives are decided just by the toss of a genetic coin. The existence of a third gender is also an undeniable aspect of our society. The understanding of the functioning and genetic regulation of the complex process of sexual determination and differentiation is pivotal in comprehension of the basis of human life. Any deviation from the usual mechanisms in the critical stages of development leads to disorders of sexual differentiation leading to sexual ambiguity among individuals. This review discusses the mechanisms that contribute to female and male sex determination and gonadal development, in an attempt to understand the basics of human sex.

Highlights

Most often than not, the commonest question asked following the birth of a child is inevitably “Boy or Girl”? The answer to that question, whether male or female, determines our life from that moment forward and influences almost every aspect of our lives including our being and the way of life
In the third gender or eunuchs the disparity between their phenotypic and genotypic sexual makeup is due to faults in critical stages of sexual determination and differentiation leading to chromosomal imbalance, deletions, translocations or sex reversal
Insights into genomic and molecular aspects of sex determination have led us to the understanding of the stunningly complex and nuanced mechanisms of the intricate process

Summary

Introduction

The commonest question asked following the birth of a child is inevitably “Boy or Girl”? The answer to that question, whether male or female, determines our life from that moment forward and influences almost every aspect of our lives including our being and the way of life. The sexual fate of mammals is determined at the stage of fertilisation, it is revealed much later during the development of foetus when the gonads differentiate into testis and ovaries after a significant period of sexual ambiguity[1]. The various stages namely sex determination; gonad differentiation and identity maintenance are considered to be consecutive processes that occur owing to complex interactions between transcription factor interactions and signalling molecules which direct the development of foetus towards male and female[2].

Results

Conclusion