Abstract
We present the transcriptomic changes underlying the development of an extreme neuroanatomical sex difference. The robust nucleus of the arcopallium (RA) is a key component of the songbird vocal motor system. In zebra finch, the RA is initially monomorphic and then atrophies in females but grows up to 7-fold larger in males. Mirroring this divergence, we show here that sex-differential gene expression in the RA expands from hundreds of predominantly sex chromosome Z genes in early development to thousands of predominantly autosomal genes by the time sexual dimorphism asymptotes. Male-specific developmental processes include cell and axonal growth, synapse assembly and activity, and energy metabolism; female-specific processes include cell polarity and differentiation, transcriptional repression, and steroid hormone and immune signaling. Transcription factor binding site analyses support female-biased activation of pro-apoptotic regulatory networks. The extensive and sex-specific transcriptomic reorganization of RA provides insights into potential drivers of sexually dimorphic neurodevelopment.
Original language | English (US) |
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Article number | 111152 |
Journal | Cell Reports |
Volume | 40 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Aug 2 2022 |
Keywords
- CP: Developmental biology
- CP: Molecular biology
- apoptosis
- neurodevelopment
- oscine
- sex chromosomes
- sexual dimorphism
- song nuclei
- songbird
- transcriptional regulation
- transcriptomics
- vocal circuitry
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology