Abstract
BackgroundBrain sexual differentiation is sculpted by precise coordination of steroid hormones during development. Programming of several brain regions in males depends upon aromatase conversion of testosterone to estrogen. However, it is not clear the direct contribution that Y chromosome associated genes, especially sex-determining region Y (Sry), might exert on brain sexual differentiation in therian mammals. Two species of spiny rats: Amami spiny rat (Tokudaia osimensis) and Tokunoshima spiny rat (T. tokunoshimensis) lack a Y chromosome/Sry, and these individuals possess an XO chromosome system in both sexes. Both Tokudaia species are highly endangered. To assess the neural transcriptome profile in male and female Amami spiny rats, RNA was isolated from brain samples of adult male and female spiny rats that had died accidentally and used for RNAseq analyses.ResultsRNAseq analyses confirmed that several genes and individual transcripts were differentially expressed between males and females. In males, seminal vesicle secretory protein 5 (Svs5) and cytochrome P450 1B1 (Cyp1b1) genes were significantly elevated compared to females, whereas serine (or cysteine) peptidase inhibitor, clade A, member 3 N (Serpina3n) was upregulated in females. Many individual transcripts elevated in males included those encoding for zinc finger proteins, e.g. zinc finger protein X-linked (Zfx).ConclusionsThis method successfully identified several genes and transcripts that showed expression differences in the brain of adult male and female Amami spiny rat. The functional significance of these findings, especially differential expression of transcripts encoding zinc finger proteins, in this unusual rodent species remains to be determined.
Highlights
Brain sexual differentiation is sculpted by precise coordination of steroid hormones during development
Brain sexual differentiation in therian mammals is generally influenced by a surge in gonadal steroid hormones during embryo development followed by a second surge later in adulthood
Full details on the transcriptome library generated for Categories Total Assembly Lengtha
Summary
Brain sexual differentiation is sculpted by precise coordination of steroid hormones during development. Programming of several brain regions in males depends upon aromatase conversion of testosterone to estrogen It is not clear the direct contribution that Y chromosome associated genes, especially sexdetermining region Y (Sry), might exert on brain sexual differentiation in therian mammals. Brain sexual differentiation in therian mammals is generally influenced by a surge in gonadal steroid hormones during embryo development followed by a second surge later in adulthood. This paradigm is termed “organization-activational programming” and occurs in a sex-specific manner [1,2,3].
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