動物的生殖細(xì)胞與體細(xì)胞不同，有雌雄之別,，也就是分為精子和卵子兩種,。由于生殖細(xì)胞是在移動到卵巢和精巢后才分化為卵子和精子，這種性別差異產(chǎn)生的過程很令人感興趣,。
日本一個(gè)研究小組在新一期美國《科學(xué)》雜志網(wǎng)絡(luò)版上發(fā)表論文說,，他們通過對果蠅的研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，一個(gè)名為“SxL”的基因是決定生殖細(xì)胞性別的“開關(guān)”,。此前科學(xué)界曾普遍認(rèn)為,，生殖細(xì)胞的性別由兩個(gè)因素決定，一個(gè)是由體細(xì)胞形成的卵巢或精巢的特定環(huán)境,，另一個(gè)是細(xì)胞內(nèi)部的機(jī)制,。
日本自然科學(xué)研究機(jī)構(gòu)基礎(chǔ)生物學(xué)研究所的這個(gè)研究小組在利用果蠅研究時(shí)發(fā)現(xiàn)，原始生殖細(xì)胞在移動到卵巢或精巢前,，已經(jīng)有了差異,，一個(gè)名為“SxL”的基因決定了這種差異。“SxL”是已知的果蠅體內(nèi)與性別相關(guān)的基因,。
研究小組確認(rèn),，抑制“SxL”基因的表達(dá)，原始生殖細(xì)胞就會朝著精子的方向發(fā)育,；反之,，這個(gè)基因如果得到表達(dá)，原始生殖細(xì)胞會向著卵細(xì)胞的方向發(fā)育,。哪怕是雄性果蠅的原始生殖細(xì)胞,，如果“SxL”基因得到充分表達(dá)，也會發(fā)育成卵原細(xì)胞,，移植到雌性果蠅卵巢后會繼續(xù)發(fā)育成有效的卵細(xì)胞,。
研究小組負(fù)責(zé)人小林悟指出，這是首次發(fā)現(xiàn)生殖細(xì)胞的性別是由自身決定的,，這一發(fā)現(xiàn)將來也許能夠用于控制生殖細(xì)胞的性別,。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦原文出處：
Science DOI： 10.1126/science.1208146
Drosophila Sex lethal Gene Initiates Female Development in Germline Progenitors
Hashiyama, Kazuya; Hayashi, Yoshiki; Kobayashi, Satoru
Sex determination in the Drosophila germline is regulated by both the sex of the surrounding soma and cell-autonomous cues. How primordial germ cells (PGCs) initiate sexual development via cell-autonomous mechanisms is unclear. We demonstrate here in Drosophila that Sex lethal (Sxl) does act autonomously in PGCs to induce female development. Sxl is transiently expressed in PGCs during their migration to the gonads, and this expression, which was detected only in XX PGCs, is necessary for PGCs to assume a female fate. Ectopic expression of Sxl in XY PGCs was sufficient to induce them to enter oogenesis, and produce functional eggs when transplanted into an XX host. Our data provide powerful evidence that Sxl initiates female germline fate during sexual development.
