The master male sex determinant Gdf6Y of the turquoise killifish arose through allelic neofunctionalization
Abstract Although sex determination is a fundamental process in vertebrate development, it is very plastic. Diverse genes became major sex determinants in teleost fishes. Deciphering how individual sex-determining genes orchestrate sex determination can reveal new actors in sexual development. Here,...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-55899-7 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1841544544800210944 |
|---|---|
| author | Annekatrin Richter Hanna Mörl Maria Thielemann Markus Kleemann Raphael Geißen Robert Schwarz Carolin Albertz Philipp Koch Andreas Petzold Torsten Kroll Marco Groth Nils Hartmann Amaury Herpin Christoph Englert |
| author_facet | Annekatrin Richter Hanna Mörl Maria Thielemann Markus Kleemann Raphael Geißen Robert Schwarz Carolin Albertz Philipp Koch Andreas Petzold Torsten Kroll Marco Groth Nils Hartmann Amaury Herpin Christoph Englert |
| author_sort | Annekatrin Richter |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Although sex determination is a fundamental process in vertebrate development, it is very plastic. Diverse genes became major sex determinants in teleost fishes. Deciphering how individual sex-determining genes orchestrate sex determination can reveal new actors in sexual development. Here, we demonstrate that the Y-chromosomal copy of the TGF-β family member gdf6 (gdf6Y) in Nothobranchius furzeri, an emerging model organism in aging research, gained the function of the male sex determinant through allelic diversification while retaining the skeletal developmental function shared with the X-chromosomal gdf6 allele (gdf6X). Concerning sex determination, gdf6Y is expressed by somatic supporting cells of the developing testes. There it induces the male sex in a germ cell-independent manner in contrast to sex determination in zebrafish and the medaka. Looking for downstream effectors of Gdf6Y, we identified besides TGF-β signaling modulators, especially the inhibitor of DNA binding genes id1/2/3, the mRNA decay activator zfp36l2 as a new GDF6 signaling target. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c648736c236c4b43afe74c6f73e38864 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-c648736c236c4b43afe74c6f73e388642025-01-12T12:30:21ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-01-0116111810.1038/s41467-025-55899-7The master male sex determinant Gdf6Y of the turquoise killifish arose through allelic neofunctionalizationAnnekatrin Richter0Hanna Mörl1Maria Thielemann2Markus Kleemann3Raphael Geißen4Robert Schwarz5Carolin Albertz6Philipp Koch7Andreas Petzold8Torsten Kroll9Marco Groth10Nils Hartmann11Amaury Herpin12Christoph Englert13Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI)Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI)Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI)Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI)Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI)Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI)Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI)Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI)Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI)Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI)Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI)Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI)INRAE, UR1037 Laboratory of Fish Physiology and Genomics, Campus de BeaulieuLeibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI)Abstract Although sex determination is a fundamental process in vertebrate development, it is very plastic. Diverse genes became major sex determinants in teleost fishes. Deciphering how individual sex-determining genes orchestrate sex determination can reveal new actors in sexual development. Here, we demonstrate that the Y-chromosomal copy of the TGF-β family member gdf6 (gdf6Y) in Nothobranchius furzeri, an emerging model organism in aging research, gained the function of the male sex determinant through allelic diversification while retaining the skeletal developmental function shared with the X-chromosomal gdf6 allele (gdf6X). Concerning sex determination, gdf6Y is expressed by somatic supporting cells of the developing testes. There it induces the male sex in a germ cell-independent manner in contrast to sex determination in zebrafish and the medaka. Looking for downstream effectors of Gdf6Y, we identified besides TGF-β signaling modulators, especially the inhibitor of DNA binding genes id1/2/3, the mRNA decay activator zfp36l2 as a new GDF6 signaling target.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-55899-7 |
| spellingShingle | Annekatrin Richter Hanna Mörl Maria Thielemann Markus Kleemann Raphael Geißen Robert Schwarz Carolin Albertz Philipp Koch Andreas Petzold Torsten Kroll Marco Groth Nils Hartmann Amaury Herpin Christoph Englert The master male sex determinant Gdf6Y of the turquoise killifish arose through allelic neofunctionalization Nature Communications |
| title | The master male sex determinant Gdf6Y of the turquoise killifish arose through allelic neofunctionalization |
| title_full | The master male sex determinant Gdf6Y of the turquoise killifish arose through allelic neofunctionalization |
| title_fullStr | The master male sex determinant Gdf6Y of the turquoise killifish arose through allelic neofunctionalization |
| title_full_unstemmed | The master male sex determinant Gdf6Y of the turquoise killifish arose through allelic neofunctionalization |
| title_short | The master male sex determinant Gdf6Y of the turquoise killifish arose through allelic neofunctionalization |
| title_sort | master male sex determinant gdf6y of the turquoise killifish arose through allelic neofunctionalization |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-55899-7 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT annekatrinrichter themastermalesexdeterminantgdf6yoftheturquoisekillifisharosethroughallelicneofunctionalization AT hannamorl themastermalesexdeterminantgdf6yoftheturquoisekillifisharosethroughallelicneofunctionalization AT mariathielemann themastermalesexdeterminantgdf6yoftheturquoisekillifisharosethroughallelicneofunctionalization AT markuskleemann themastermalesexdeterminantgdf6yoftheturquoisekillifisharosethroughallelicneofunctionalization AT raphaelgeißen themastermalesexdeterminantgdf6yoftheturquoisekillifisharosethroughallelicneofunctionalization AT robertschwarz themastermalesexdeterminantgdf6yoftheturquoisekillifisharosethroughallelicneofunctionalization AT carolinalbertz themastermalesexdeterminantgdf6yoftheturquoisekillifisharosethroughallelicneofunctionalization AT philippkoch themastermalesexdeterminantgdf6yoftheturquoisekillifisharosethroughallelicneofunctionalization AT andreaspetzold themastermalesexdeterminantgdf6yoftheturquoisekillifisharosethroughallelicneofunctionalization AT torstenkroll themastermalesexdeterminantgdf6yoftheturquoisekillifisharosethroughallelicneofunctionalization AT marcogroth themastermalesexdeterminantgdf6yoftheturquoisekillifisharosethroughallelicneofunctionalization AT nilshartmann themastermalesexdeterminantgdf6yoftheturquoisekillifisharosethroughallelicneofunctionalization AT amauryherpin themastermalesexdeterminantgdf6yoftheturquoisekillifisharosethroughallelicneofunctionalization AT christophenglert themastermalesexdeterminantgdf6yoftheturquoisekillifisharosethroughallelicneofunctionalization AT annekatrinrichter mastermalesexdeterminantgdf6yoftheturquoisekillifisharosethroughallelicneofunctionalization AT hannamorl mastermalesexdeterminantgdf6yoftheturquoisekillifisharosethroughallelicneofunctionalization AT mariathielemann mastermalesexdeterminantgdf6yoftheturquoisekillifisharosethroughallelicneofunctionalization AT markuskleemann mastermalesexdeterminantgdf6yoftheturquoisekillifisharosethroughallelicneofunctionalization AT raphaelgeißen mastermalesexdeterminantgdf6yoftheturquoisekillifisharosethroughallelicneofunctionalization AT robertschwarz mastermalesexdeterminantgdf6yoftheturquoisekillifisharosethroughallelicneofunctionalization AT carolinalbertz mastermalesexdeterminantgdf6yoftheturquoisekillifisharosethroughallelicneofunctionalization AT philippkoch mastermalesexdeterminantgdf6yoftheturquoisekillifisharosethroughallelicneofunctionalization AT andreaspetzold mastermalesexdeterminantgdf6yoftheturquoisekillifisharosethroughallelicneofunctionalization AT torstenkroll mastermalesexdeterminantgdf6yoftheturquoisekillifisharosethroughallelicneofunctionalization AT marcogroth mastermalesexdeterminantgdf6yoftheturquoisekillifisharosethroughallelicneofunctionalization AT nilshartmann mastermalesexdeterminantgdf6yoftheturquoisekillifisharosethroughallelicneofunctionalization AT amauryherpin mastermalesexdeterminantgdf6yoftheturquoisekillifisharosethroughallelicneofunctionalization AT christophenglert mastermalesexdeterminantgdf6yoftheturquoisekillifisharosethroughallelicneofunctionalization |