<i>Sox9</i> is indispensable for testis differentiation in the red-eared slider turtle, a reptile with temperature-dependent sex determination

Hang-Bo Hui; Ling Xiao; Wei Sun; Ying-Jie Zhou; Hai-Yan Zhang; Chu-Tian Ge

doi:10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2021.136

Volume 42 Issue 6

Nov. 2021

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Article Navigation > Zoological Research > 2021 > 42(6): 721-725

Hang-Bo Hui, Ling Xiao, Wei Sun, Ying-Jie Zhou, Hai-Yan Zhang, Chu-Tian Ge. Sox9 is indispensable for testis differentiation in the red-eared slider turtle, a reptile with temperature-dependent sex determination. Zoological Research, 2021, 42(6): 721-725. doi: 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2021.136

Citation:

Hang-Bo Hui, Ling Xiao, Wei Sun, Ying-Jie Zhou, Hai-Yan Zhang, Chu-Tian Ge. Sox9 is indispensable for testis differentiation in the red-eared slider turtle, a reptile with temperature-dependent sex determination. Zoological Research, 2021, 42(6): 721-725. doi: 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2021.136

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Sox9 is indispensable for testis differentiation in the red-eared slider turtle, a reptile with temperature-dependent sex determination

doi: 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2021.136

Hang-Bo Hui^{1, #},
Ling Xiao^{1, #},
Wei Sun¹,
Ying-Jie Zhou¹,
Hai-Yan Zhang¹,
Chu-Tian Ge^{1
,
,}

1.
Institute of Animal Sex and Development, Zhejiang Wanli University, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315100, China

#Authors contributed equally to this work

Funds: This study was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program (2018YFD0900203), National Natural Science Foundation of China (31922084, 31872960), Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province for Distinguished Young Scholars (LR19C190001), and Key Agricultural Project of Ningbo (2019C10018)

More Information

Corresponding author: E-mail: cge@zwu.edu.cn
Received Date: 2021-07-19
Accepted Date: 2021-09-18

Published Online: 2021-09-22

Publish Date: 2021-11-18

Abstract

Abstract

SOX9 (SRY-related HMG box gene 9) is an essential regulator of male sex determination and testis differentiation in many vertebrate species. However, the functional role of Sox9 in testis differentiation has not yet been identified in any reptilian species. Herein, Sox9 knockdown in the red-eared slider turtle (Trachemys scripta) embryos at a male-producing temperature led to complete male-to-female sex reversal, characterized by the formation of an ovary-like structure, disappearance of male marker AMH, and ectopic expression of ovarian regulator FOXL2, as well as a female distribution pattern of germ cells. Conversely, in-ovo overexpression of Sox9 at a female-producing temperature resulted in partial masculinization of putative female embryos, with the co-existence of AMH and FOXL2. Our study provides the first direct evidence that Sox9 is indispensable for testicular differentiation in a reptilian species, further confirming the conserved role of Sox9 in vertebrate sexual development.
- Sox9,
- Testis differentiation,
- Male development,
- Temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD),
- Red-eared slider turtle

#Authors contributed equally to this work

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References(34)

References

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