Fetal estrogens are not involved in sex determination but critical for early ovarian differentiation in rabbits

thematic Biodiversity

The birth of a male sex chromosome in Atlantic herring

PRESS RELEASE - The evolution of sex chromosomes is of crucial importance in biology as it stabilizes the mechanism underlying sex determination and usually results in an equal sex ratio. An international team of scientists, led by researchers from Uppsala University, reports now how they have been able to reconstruct the birth of a male sex chromosome in the Atlantic herring. The male-specific region is tiny and contains only three genes, a sex-determining factor and two genes for sperm proteins. The study is published today in PNAS.

07 September 2020

thematic Biodiversity

Mysterious accessory chromosome involved in sex determination in Pachón cavefish

PRESS RELEASE - An international collaboration among INRAE, CNRS, and University of Paris-Saclay has led to a startling discovery: in Pachón cavefish, sex determination is shaped by a non-essential B chromosome, an outcome never before seen in fish, let alone in vertebrates. The Pachón cavefish is a model for studying evolution in subterranean environments, and these results represent a major advance in the field.

08 September 2021

thematic Agroecology

Abdelhafid Bendahmane, research in bloom

Melons, cucumbers, tomatoes, and peas...Abdelhafid Bendahmane has studied them all. Audaciously combining genomics and post-genomics, he has successfully and strategically bridged the gap between sex determination and variety breeding in plants. For his daring, he has received INRA's 2018 Scientific Breakthrough Award.