Testis determination: soft talk and kinky sex.
The activity of the Y-linked Sry gene during a critical period of gonadal differentiation is the normal trigger for testis determination and subsequent male development in mammals. This gene encodes a DNA-binding protein of the HMG-box class. It has been shown to induce a dramatic kink in target DNA-binding sites, which allows for much speculation on how the gene functions to regulate testis-specific gene expression. It is also clear that cell interactions are vital to its mode of action, and generally in the process of gonadal differentiation.
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Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, MRC National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, London, UK.
D000818:Animals; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D012733:Sex Differentiation / Q000235:genetics*; D013737:Testis / Q000196:embryology*