BACKGROUND Infertility is a major issue in human reproductive health, affecting an
estimated 15% of couples worldwide. Infertility can result from disorders of sex development …

The human Y chromosome harbors genes that are responsible for testis development and
also for initiation and maintenance of spermatogenesis in adulthood. The long arm of the Y …

Development of testes in the mammalian embryo requires the formation and assembly of
several cell types that allow these organs to achieve their roles in male reproduction and …

The Sertoli cells are critical regulators of testis differentiation and development. In the adult,
however, their known function is restricted largely to maintenance of spermatogenesis. To …

Mammals have the oldest sex chromosome system known: the mammalian X and Y
chromosomes evolved from ordinary autosomes beginning at least 180 million years ago …

Many organisms show major chromosomal differences between sexes. In mammals,
females have two copies of a large, gene-rich chromosome, the X, whereas males have one …

Sertoli cells (SCs) regulate testicular fate in the differentiating gonad and are the main
regulators of spermatogenesis in the adult testis; however, their role during the intervening …

Virilisation of the XX foetus is the result of androgen excess, resulting most frequently from
congenital adrenal hyperplasia in individuals with typical ovarian differentiation. In rare …

The SRY-related (SOX) transcription factor family pivotally contributes to determining cell
fate and identity in many lineages. Since the original discovery that SRY deletions cause sex …

In recent years, considerable advances have been made in our understanding of genetics of
mammalian gonad development; however, the underlying genetic aetiology in the majority …