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Biology
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Mechanisms of Sex Determination and Gonad Development
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Mechanisms of Sex Determination and Gonad Development

A special issue of Biology (ISSN 2079-7737). This special issue belongs to the section "Developmental and Reproductive Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2024) | Viewed by 4420

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Rafal P. Piprek

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Comparative Anatomy, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
Interests: gonad development; sex determination; reproduction; anatomy; histology; developmental biology; Xenopus; chicken; mouse

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sex determination and the mechanisms of gonadal development exhibit remarkable diversity among various vertebrate and invertebrate groups. There are numerous examples of genetic, as well as environmental, sex determination. Research investigating the influence of multiple factors on sexual development unveils complex mechanisms that govern animal development. It is fascinating to explore how sex determination impacts the processes involved in shaping the structure of testes and ovaries, thus affecting gonadal sexual differentiation. The processes controlling gonadal development are occasionally disrupted, and the underlying causes of such disorders in humans often remain unexplained. This highlights the extent of our limited understanding regarding these phenomena.

This Special Issue aims to expand knowledge on the molecular and cellular mechanisms orchestrating sex determination, sexual differentiation and other aspects of gonad development in both vertebrates and invertebrates.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcomed. Research areas may include genetic, hormonal and environmental sex determination in vertebrates and invertebrates, the mechanisms of temperature sex determination, sex chromosomes, gene expression in developing testes and ovaries, structural changes in developing gonads, the role of genes and sex steroids in gonad development, gonadal cell origin and fate, the mechanisms of cell differentiation and the clinical aspects of human disorders of sex determination.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Rafal P. Piprek
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sex determination
  • sex differentiation
  • development
  • gonad
  • testis
  • ovary
  • genes
  • sex chromosomes
  • sex hormones
  • hermaphroditism

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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29 pages, 85766 KiB  
Article
Histological Analysis of Gonadal Ridge Development and Sex Differentiation of Gonads in Three Gecko Species
by Izabela Rams-Pociecha, Paulina C. Mizia and Rafal P. Piprek
Biology 2024, 13(1), 7; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13010007 - 22 Dec 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2576
Abstract
Reptiles constitute a highly diverse group of vertebrates, with their evolutionary lineages having diverged relatively early. The types of sex determination exemplify the diversity of reptiles; however, there are limited data regarding the gonadal development in squamate reptiles. Geckos constitute a group that [...] Read more.
Reptiles constitute a highly diverse group of vertebrates, with their evolutionary lineages having diverged relatively early. The types of sex determination exemplify the diversity of reptiles; however, there are limited data regarding the gonadal development in squamate reptiles. Geckos constitute a group that is increasingly used in research and that serves as a potential reptilian model organism. The aim of this study was to trace the changes in the structure of developing gonads in the embryos of three gecko species: the crested gecko, leopard gecko, and mourning gecko. These species represent different families of the Gekkota infraorder and exhibit different types of sex determination. Gonadal development was examined from the formation of the earliest gonadal ridges through the development of undifferentiated gonadal structures, sex differentiation of gonads, and the formation of testicular and ovarian structures. The study showed that the gonadal primordia of these three gecko species formed on the most dorsally located surface of the dorsal mesentery, and both the coelomic epithelium and the nephric mesenchyme contributed to their development. As in other reptile species, primordial germ cells settled in the gonadal ridges, and the undifferentiated gonad was composed of a cortex and a medulla. Ovarian differentiation started with the thickening of the gonadal cortex and proliferation of germ cells in this region. A characteristic feature of the developing gecko ovaries was the thickened crescent-shaped cortex on the medial and ventral surfaces of the ovaries. The ovarian medulla also grew and exhibited diverse tendencies to form cords. In the leopard gecko, advanced cord-like structures with lumens were observed in the ovaries, which were not seen in the crested gecko. Testicular differentiation was characterized by cortical thinning and the disappearance of germ cells in this region. In the medulla, the development of distinct cords with early lumen formation was noted. A characteristic feature of embryonic gonads was their growth in a horizontal plane. In this study, gonadal development was characterized by several features that are shared by geckos and other reptiles, along with features that are specific only to geckos. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms of Sex Determination and Gonad Development)
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Review

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19 pages, 5530 KiB  
Review
Pregametogenesis: The Earliest Stages of Gonad and Germline Differentiation in Anuran Amphibians
by Maria Ogielska, Magdalena Chmielewska and Beata Rozenblut-Kościsty
Biology 2024, 13(12), 1017; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13121017 - 5 Dec 2024
Viewed by 1082
Abstract
The gonads of amphibians, like other vertebrates, consist of somatic tissues, which create a specific environment essential for the differentiation of germline cells. The earliest stages of gametogenesis still remain underexplored in anuran amphibians. We propose to introduce the term “pregametogenesis” for a [...] Read more.
The gonads of amphibians, like other vertebrates, consist of somatic tissues, which create a specific environment essential for the differentiation of germline cells. The earliest stages of gametogenesis still remain underexplored in anuran amphibians. We propose to introduce the term “pregametogenesis” for a specific period of gonocyte proliferation and differentiation that occurs exclusively during the early stages of gonadal development. This review shows the key steps of early gonad differentiation in anuran amphibians and further compares chromatin reorganization in gonocytes of mammals and hybridogenetic water frogs. In mammals, this phase involves resetting genomic imprinting, which is crucial for determining gene expression in offspring. In hybridogenetic Pelophylax water frogs, we highlight the unique phenomenon of genome elimination, where one parental subgenome is eliminated while the other is replicated. This process, occurring at the same developmental phase as imprinting in mammals, underscores the evolutionary importance of pregametogenesis. The study of amphibian gonocytes provides valuable insights into chromatin reorganization and genome plasticity, offering new perspectives on reproductive biology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms of Sex Determination and Gonad Development)
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