title: Involvement of homeobox genes in mammalian sexual development.
abstract: In eutherian mammals, sexual development hinges on the differentiation of the gonadal primordia into either testes or ovaries, in turn determined by the activity of the Y-linked gene Sry. Organogenesis of the gonads requires input from a complex network of morphogenetic signals, many of which are still uncharacterised. Homeobox genes are known to play important roles in embryo morphogenesis and organogenesis in a number of systems. Here, we review current data relating to possible roles of the extended homeobox gene family on gonad development, sex-specific morphogenesis and gametogenesis, and speculate that these genes may play a broader role in these processes than is currently suspected.
authors.affiliation: Division of Molecular Genetics and Development, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Svingen
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Koopman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005718:Gametogenesis; D005801:Genes, Homeobox; D006066:Gonads / Q000196:embryology; D006801:Humans; D008322:Mammals / Q000235:genetics*; D012733:Sex Differentiation; D046468:Sexual Development / Q000235:genetics*