A VIEW ON SEX DETERMINATION IN MAMMALS

Sex determination is the set of mechanisms that lead a fetal indifferenciated gonad to commit into the development of either a testis or an ovary. This pathway is a very complex developmental cascade that requires interaction of many genes. The SRY gene (sex determining region, Y chromosome) has been identified as being the testis ,determining factor which is the primary signal triggering testis formation. Thanks to the analysis of sex reversed patients or animal models, some other genes are shown to play a role in sex determination. However, many steps of the cascade are unknown and remain to be identified.