Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 15, 2026

Slide Preparation Method to Preserve Three-dimensional Chromatin Architecture of Testicular Germ Cells
Published on: January 10, 2014
Epigenetic regulation of mammalian sex determination
1Department of Enzyme Chemistry, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University.
Abstract:
Epigenetics is the study of changes in gene function that cannot be explained by changes in DNA sequence. A mammalian body contains more than two-hundred different types of cells, all derived from a single fertilized egg. Epigenetic gene regulation mechanisms essentially contribute to various processes of mammalian development. The essence of epigenetic regulation is the modulation of gene activity through changes in chromatin structure. DNA methylation and histone modifications are the major epigenetic mechanisms. Sex determination is the process of establishing a gender. Sry, the sex-determining gene in therian mammals, initiates testis differentiation. Recent studies have provided evidence that epigenetic mechanisms contribute to Sry regulation.
Related Concept Videos
Epigenetic Regulation
Epigenetic Regulation
X-chromosome...
Epigenetic Regulation
Dosage Compensation
In addition to sexual development, the X chromosome has genes involved in autosomal functions such as brain development and the immune system. Therefore, males and females with distinct numbers of X chromosomes will...
The Ratio of X Chromosome to Autosomes
Normal male Drosophila has a ratio of one X chromosome to two sets of autosomes. In contrast, normal female...
Genomic Imprinting and Inheritance
The expression of some genes depends on which parent passed the gene to the offspring, through a phenomenon known as...

