Molecular mechanisms underlying sexual differentiation of the nervous system.

Molecular mechanisms underlying sexual differentiation of the nervous system.
Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2018 Oct 10;53:192-197
Authors: Knoedler JR, Shah NM
Abstract
A long-standing goal in developmental neuroscience is to understand the mechanisms by which steroid sex hormones pattern the mammalian central nervous system along male or female pathways to enable subsequent displays of sexually dimorphic behaviors. In this article, we review recent advances in understanding the epigenetic and transcriptional mechanisms mediating sexual differentiation of the brain in mammals, flies, and worms. These studies suggest a model of sexual differentiation wherein master regulators of sex determination initiate a cascade of sexually dimorphic gene expression that controls development of neural pathways and behavioral displays in a strikingly modular manner. With these advances in molecular genetics, it is now feasible to disassemble different components of sexually dimorphic social behaviors without disrupting other behavioral interactions. Such experimental tractability promises rapid advances in this exciting field.
PMID: 30316066 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Source: Current Opinion in Neurobiology - October 10, 2018 Category: Neurology Authors: Knoedler JR, Shah NM Tags: Curr Opin Neurobiol Source Type: research