Temperature-dependent sex determination and gonadal differentiation in reptiles

Pieau, Claude; Dorizzi, Mireille; Richard‐Mercier, Noëlle

doi:10.1007/978-3-0348-7781-7_7

Cited by 62 publications

(81 citation statements)

References 77 publications

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“…Several other points in the sexual differentiation mechanism have been identified as possible candidates for temperature sensitivity. (33) In each of these cases, sex could potentially be determined by the interplay of the temperature sensitivity of the downstream gene or its products and the differential effect of the presence or absence of the former sex-determination gene(s) carried by the Y. Indeed, if sex determination is captured by mutational change well down the sex-differentiation cascade, the upstream genetic machinery may lead to a predisposition toward one sex or the other, only to be over-ridden by environmental influences.…”

Section: Transition Between Gsd and Tsdmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent research on the genes involved in sex differentiation in alligators and turtles with TSD, (29)(30)(31)(32) which demonstrates remarkable homology in structure, function and expression of the sex-differentiation genes of mammals and reptiles, lends considerable support to that view. (33) In this essay, we argue the case that GSD and TSD in reptiles represent the ends of a continuum of states where, in many instances, genetic and environmental influences on sex determination co-exist and interact to produce sexual phenotypes. Rather than a dichotomy between two fundamentally different and complex mechanisms, current evidence suggests that there is a common underlying mechanism of sex differentiation in reptiles and that because of that commonality, variations in sex-determination mechanisms may be effected at several points in the sexual differentiation pathway.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(37) There is general consensus that temperature exerts its influence in species with TSD by acting upon the genetic mechanisms that govern steroidogenic enzymes or steroid hormone receptors, thus altering the hormone environment of the sexually indifferent embryo and directing development in either a male or a female direction. (22,38) Administration of exogenous oestrogen in turtles will override the effect of a male-producing temperature to yield female hatchlings (39,40) and the period of sensitivity to exogenous oestrogen coincides with the thermosensitive period. (41) In reptiles, synthesis of oestrogens depends on the aromatization of testosterone and androstenedione to the oestrogens estrone and estradiol-17b.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The ends of a continuum: genetic and temperature‐dependent sex determination in reptiles

Sarre¹,

Georges²,

Quinn³

2004

BioEssays

273

259

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Two prevailing paradigms explain the diversity of sex‐determining modes in reptiles. Many researchers, particularly those who study reptiles, consider genetic and environmental sex‐determining mechanisms to be fundamentally different, and that one can be demonstrated experimentally to the exclusion of the other. Other researchers, principally those who take a broader taxonomic perspective, argue that no clear boundaries exist between them. Indeed, we argue that genetic and environmental sex determination in reptiles should be seen as a continuum of states represented by species whose sex is determined primarily by genotype, species where genetic and environmental mechanisms coexist and interact in lesser or greater measure to bring about sex phenotypes, and species where sex is determined primarily by environment. To do otherwise limits the scope of investigations into the transition between the two and reduces opportunities to use studies of reptiles to advance understanding of vertebrate sex determination generally. BioEssays 26:639–645, 2004. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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Section: Transition Between Gsd and Tsdmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The ends of a continuum: genetic and temperature‐dependent sex determination in reptiles

Sarre¹,

Georges²,

Quinn³

2004

BioEssays

273

259

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In some reptiles, including tortoises and turtles, warmer temperatures during incubation generally induce female development (15,16). Feminization also occurs in crocodilians at temperatures both above and below temperatures that are optimal for male development (17,18). Female-biased populations are not necessarily at greater risk of extinction, provided some males are present (19), since numbers of females, rather than males, largely determine the reproductive output of a population (19,20).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Female-biased populations are not necessarily at greater risk of extinction, provided some males are present (19), since numbers of females, rather than males, largely determine the reproductive output of a population (19,20). However, in lizards (17,18), fish (21), and some amphibians (22), temperature elevation tends to induce male development and male-biased sex ratios can dramatically reduce population fitness (23,24). Sexual differentiation in these animals is also strongly influenced by chemicals that disrupt hormone systems (25)(26)(27)(28).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate change and pollution speed declines in zebrafish populations

Brown

Owen

Peters

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are potent environmental contaminants, and their effects on wildlife populations could be exacerbated by climate change, especially in species with environmental sex determination. Endangered species may be particularly at risk because inbreeding depression and stochastic fluctuations in male and female numbers are often observed in the small populations that typify these taxa. Here, we assessed the interactive effects of water temperature and EDC exposure on sexual development and population viability of inbred and outbred zebrafish (Danio rerio). Water temperatures adopted were 28°C (current ambient mean spawning temperature) and 33°C (projected for the year 2100). The EDC selected was clotrimazole (at 2 μg/L and 10 μg/L), a widely used antifungal chemical that inhibits a key steroidogenic enzyme [cytochrome P450(CYP19) aromatase] required for estrogen synthesis in vertebrates. Elevated water temperature and clotrimazole exposure independently induced maleskewed sex ratios, and the effects of clotrimazole were greater at the higher temperature. Male sex ratio skews also occurred for the lower clotrimazole exposure concentration at the higher water temperature in inbred fish but not in outbred fish. Population viability analysis showed that population growth rates declined sharply in response to male skews and declines for inbred populations occurred at lower male skews than for outbred populations. These results indicate that elevated temperature associated with climate change can amplify the effects of EDCs and these effects are likely to be most acute in small, inbred populations exhibiting environmental sex determination and/or differentiation.

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Effect of temperature, food availability, and estradiol injection on gametogenesis and gender in the pearl oyster Pinctada margaritifera

et al. 2015

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The black-lip pearl oyster Pinctada margaritifera is a protandrous hermaphrodite species. Its economic value has led to the development of controlled hatchery reproduction techniques, although many aspects remain to be optimized. In order to understand reproductive mechanisms and their controlling factors, two independent experiments were designed to test hypotheses of gametogenesis and sex ratio control by environmental and hormonal factors. In one, pearl oysters were exposed under controlled conditions at different combinations of temperature (24 and 28°C) and food level (10,000 and 40,000 cells mL(-1) ); whereas in the other, pearl oysters were conditioned under natural conditions into the lagoon and subjected to successive 17β-estradiol injections (100 μg per injection). Gametogenesis and sex ratio were assessed by histology for each treatment. In parallel, mRNA expressions of nine marker genes of the sexual pathway (pmarg-foxl2, pmarg-c43476, pmarg-c45042, pmarg-c19309, pmarg-c54338, pmarg-vit6, pmarg-zglp1, pmarg-dmrt, and pmarg-fem1-like) were investigated. Maximum maturation was observed in the treatment combining the highest temperature (28°C) and the highest microalgae concentration (40,000 cells mL(-1) ), where the female sex tended to be maintained. Injection of 17β-estradiol induced a significant increase of undetermined stage proportion 2 weeks after the final injection. These results suggest that gametogenesis and gender in adult pearl oysters can be controlled by environmental factors and estrogens. While there were no significant effects on relative gene expression, the 3-gene-pair expression ratio model of the sexual pathway of P. margaritifera, suggest a probable dominance of genetic sex determinism without excluding a mixed sex determination mode (genetic + environmental). J. Exp. Zool. 325A:13-24, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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Temperature-dependent sex determination and gonadal differentiation in reptiles

Cited by 62 publications

References 77 publications

The ends of a continuum: genetic and temperature‐dependent sex determination in reptiles

The ends of a continuum: genetic and temperature‐dependent sex determination in reptiles

Climate change and pollution speed declines in zebrafish populations

Effect of temperature, food availability, and estradiol injection on gametogenesis and gender in the pearl oyster Pinctada margaritifera

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