Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Zfy gene expression patterns are not compatible with a primary role in mouse sex determination

Abstract

THE Y chromosome determines maleness in mammals. A Y chromosome-linked gene diverts the indifferent embryonic gonad from the default ovarian pathway in favour of testis differentiation, initiating male development1,2. Study of this basic developmental switch requires the isolation of the testis-determining gene, termed TDF in humans and Tdy in mice. ZFY, a candidate gene for TDF, potentially encodes a zinc-finger protein3, and has two Y-linked homologues, Zfy-1 and Zfy-2, in mice4,5. Although ZFY, Zfy-1 and Zfy-2 seem to map to the sex-determining regions of the human and mouse Y chromosomes, there is no direct evidence that these genes are involved in testis determination. We report here that Zfy-1 but not Zfy-2 is expressed in differentiating embryonic mouse testes. Neither gene, however, is expressed in We/We mutant embryonic testes which lack germ cells. These observations exclude both Zfy-1 and Zfy-2 as candidates for the mouse testis-determining gene.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Purchase on Springer Link

Instant access to full article PDF

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. McLaren, A. Trends Genet. 4, 153–157 (1988).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Goodfellow, P. N. & Darling, S. M. Development 102, 251–258 (1988).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Page, D. C. et al. Cell 51, 1091–1104 (1987).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Mardon, G. et al. Science 243, 78–80 (1989).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Nagamine, C. M., Chan, K., Kozak, C. A. & Lau, Y.-F. Science 243, 80–83 (1989).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Mardon, G. & Page, D. C. Cell 56, 765–770 (1989).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Cattanach, B. M., Pollard, C. E. & Hawkes, S. G. Cytogenetics 10, 318–337 (1971).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Burgoyne, P. S., Levy, E. R. & McLaren, A. Nature 320, 170–172 (1986).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Ashworth, A., Swift, S. & Affara, N. Nucleic Acids Res. 17, 2864 (1989).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Merchant, H. Devl Biol. 44, 1–21 (1975).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. McLaren, A. in The Origin and Evolution of Sex (eds Halvorson H. O. & Monroy, A.) 289–300 (Liss, New York, 1985).

    Google Scholar 

  12. Mintz, B. & Russell, E. S. J. exp. Zool. 134, 207–237 (1957).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Cattanach, B. M. Mouse News Lett. 59, 18 (1978).

    Google Scholar 

  14. Burgoyne, P. S., Buehr, M., Koopman, P., Rossant, J. & McLaren, A. Development 102, 443–450 (1988).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Sinclair, A. H. et al. Nature 336, 780–783 (1988).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Palmer, M. S. et al. Nature 342, XXX–XXX (1989).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Monk, M. & McLaren, A. J. Embryol. exp. Morph. 63, 75–84 (1981).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Robertson, E., Bradley, A., Kuehn, M. & Evans, M. Nature 323, 445–448 (1986).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Robertson, E. J., Kaufman, M. H., Bradley, A. & Evans, M. in Cold Spring Harbor Conferences on Cell Proliferation, Vol. 10: Teratocarcinomas and Stem Cells (eds. Silver, L. M., Martin, G. R. & Strickland, S. 647–663 (Cold Spring Harbor Lab, New York, 1983).

    Google Scholar 

  20. Chomczynski, P. & Sacchi, N. Analyt. Biochem. 162, 156–159 (1987).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Melton, D. W., Konecki, D. S., Brennand, J. & Caskey, C. T. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 81, 2147–2151 (1984).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Borghese, E. Acta Anat. 36, 185–220 (1959).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Koopman, P., Gubbay, J., Collignon, J. et al. Zfy gene expression patterns are not compatible with a primary role in mouse sex determination. Nature 342, 940–942 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1038/342940a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/342940a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing