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Biology
Special Issues
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 Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2024 | Viewed by 1513

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.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biology is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

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

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

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
Viewed by 1196
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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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: Pre-gametogenesis: the earliest steps of gonad sexual differentiation in anuran amphibians
Authors: Maria Ogielska; Beata Rozenblut-Kościsty; Magdalena Chmielewska
Author Affiliations: Department of Evolutionary Biology and Conservation of Vertebrates, Amphibian Biology Group, University of Wrocław, Sienkiewicza 21, 50-335 Wrocław, Poland.
Abstract: The earliest stages of germline differentiation involve the transformation of primordial germ cells into gonocytes and then into gonadal stem cells. In males, differentiated gonocytes remain dormant until sexual maturity and then transform into spermatogonial stem cells. In females, they immediately become stem cells (primary oogonia) and after a series of mitotic divisions they start meiosis, which is halted at the diplotene stage; in this way a pool is created from which a portion of oocytes is recruited that complete meiosis and ovulate each reproductive season. These processes are broadly similar in amphibians and mammals, providing new data for the ongoing discussion of formation of new generations of oocytes in adult females. We also discuss the evolutionary context of gonochorism and sex reversal in vertebrates.
Highlights: • Gonocytes and their transformation into gonadal stem cells: primary oogonia in juvenile females and spermatogonial stem cells in adult males. • Spermatogenesis is preceded by pre-spermatogenesis when gonocytes are dormant and transform into spermatogonial stem cells at sexual maturity. • Oogenesis starts in developing ovary soon after transformation of gonocytes into primary oogonia that enter meiosis after several cycles of mitotic divisions.
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