Case report
Sex Determinants in the Genome – Lessons from the Animal Kingdom
Panagiota Manolakou
Roxani Angelopoulou
Giagkos Lavranos
Abstract
The immense value of sex differentiation as a means of enriching and evolving the genome has been proven by the vast
variety of sex determining mechanisms to which organisms of all kinds resort. From single gene switching pathways
found in lower level organisms to haplodiploid reproduction in hymenoptera, temperature-determined sex in reptiles
and sex chromosomes in mammals and avians, nature and evolution have designated an impressive amount of effort to
ensure that sex-specific variations remain under well-regulated control. Therefore enhancing our efforts to study some of
the strategies recruited for the above may also lead to a better understanding of the inherent complexity of sexual dimorphism
in general.
Keywords
differentiation; sex determining mechanisms; single gene switching pathways; temperature-determined sex; sex chromosomes; sexual dimorphism
Hrčak ID:
27581
URI
Publication date:
12.5.2006.
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