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Free keywords:
Amino Acid Sequence
Animals
Base Sequence
Chromosome Mapping
Chromosomes/genetics
Chromosomes, Human, Pair 9/genetics
Conserved Sequence
DNA/chemistry/genetics
DNA, Complementary/chemistry/genetics
*DNA-Binding Proteins
Exons
Female
Fishes/embryology/genetics
Gene Expression
Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
Genes/*genetics
Humans
In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence
Introns
Male
Molecular Sequence Data
Multigene Family/*genetics
Oryzias/embryology/genetics
Protein Isoforms/genetics
RNA/genetics/metabolism
Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid/*genetics
Sequence Alignment
Sequence Analysis, DNA
Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
Tissue Distribution
Transcription Factors/*genetics
*Zebrafish Proteins
Abstract:
Genes related to the Drosophila melanogaster doublesex and Caenorhabditis elegans mab-3 genes are conserved in human. They are identified by a DNA-binding homology motif, the DM domain, and constitute a gene family (DMRTs). Unlike the invertebrate genes, whose role in the sex-determination process is essentially understood, the function of the different vertebrate DMRT genes is not as clear. Evidence has accumulated for the involvement of DMRT1 in male sex determination and differentiation. DMRT2 (known as terra in zebrafish) seems to be a critical factor for somitogenesis. To contribute to a better understanding of the function of this important gene family, we have analyzed DMRT1, DMRT2, and DMRT3 from the genome model organism Fugu rubripes and the medakafish, a complementary model organism for genetics and functional studies. We found conservation of synteny of human chromosome 9 in F. rubripes and an identical gene cluster organization of the DMRTs in both fish. Although expression analysis and gene linkage mapping in medaka exclude a function for any of the three genes in the primary step of male sex determination, comparison of F. rubripes and human sequences uncovered three putative regulatory regions that might have a role in more downstream events of sex determination and human XY sex reversal.
