Sex-specific behaviours in activities such as mating and parenting are controlled in a modular way by distinct sets of genes.
Nirao Shah at the University of California, San Francisco, and his colleagues screened the brains of male and female mice for differences in gene expression. They identified 16 genes differentially expressed in the hypothalamus and amygdala, brain regions implicated in the control of sex-related behaviours. Sex hormones, which drive behavioural differences between the sexes, exert their effects by regulating the expression patterns of these genes.
Mice deficient in one of the genes demonstrated subtle differences in particular sex-specific behaviours, such as female acceptance of — or male interest in — penetration, without affecting other sex-typical behaviours.
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Sex is spread across the genes. Nature 482, 278 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/482278d
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/482278d
