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Development of the reproductive organs in an embryo starts from a bipotential state. This means the early embryo can develop either male or female reproductive organs. The formation of these organs begins with the growth of gonadal ridges that arise from the intermediate mesoderm during the fifth week of development.
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Dissection of Larval Zebrafish Gonadal Tissue
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Sex differences in human pre-gastrulation embryos.

Yongjie Lu1,2,3,4, Meng Qin1,2,3,4, Xintong Qi1,2,3,4,5

  • 1State Key Laboratory of Female Fertility Promotion, Center for Reproductive Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, 100191, China.

Science China. Life Sciences
|September 26, 2024
PubMed
Summary

Early human embryos show distinct sex differences. These variations in gene activity and cell behavior in pre-gastrulation embryos may explain later fetal development disparities.

Keywords:
epiblasthuman embryoprimitive endodermsex differencetrophectoderm

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Area of Science:

  • Developmental Biology
  • Genetics
  • Reproductive Science

Background:

  • Human fetal development exhibits sex-specific growth and environmental responses.
  • The origins and mechanisms of these early sex differences are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate sex differences in human pre-gastrulation embryos.
  • To identify molecular and cellular mechanisms driving early sex differentiation.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of gene expression and epigenetic modifications in human pre-gastrulation embryos.
  • Comparative analysis of cell-cell communication, differentiation pathways, and cell cycle activity between sexes.

Main Results:

  • Sex-differential transcription is influenced by X chromosome methylation and incomplete inactivation in females.
  • Males show earlier anterior visceral endoderm program initiation and higher epiblast/primitive endoderm cell cycle activity.
  • Females exhibit stronger trophectoderm mitochondrial function and immunotolerance signals, while males favor syncytiotrophoblast differentiation.

Conclusions:

  • Significant sex differences exist at the pre-gastrulation stage in human embryos.
  • These early distinctions provide insights into the origins of sex differences in subsequent human fetal development.