Edited by the world's foremost authorities on the subject, with essays by leading scholars in the field, this work shows how the sex of reptiles and many fish is determined not by the chromosomes they inherit but by the temperature at which incubation takes place.

Following an opening chapter by the late Susumu Ohno on paralogues of sex-determining genes, the five best-studied genes essential for early mammalian gonadal development are portrayed in detail: SF-1 and WT1 and their roles in early events in gonadal development, SRY and SOX9 in testis determination, and the anti-testis gene DAX-1. Subsequent chapters look at the roles of these genes in sex determination in marsupial mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish, and review the different sex-determining mechanisms, genetic and environmental, that operate in these different vertebrate classes. Two insights emerge: one, that the same basic set of genes appears to operate during early gonadal development in all vertebrates, despite the differences in mechanisms; the other, that sex determination in vertebrates results from a complex network of regulatory interactions and not from a simple hierarchical cascade of gene actions.

Sex Determination, Volume 134, the latest release in the Current Topics in Developmental Biology series, contains current reviews in the field of vertebrate sex determination. It covers molecular pathways of sex determination in genetic and environmental species and encompasses both sex determination of somatic lineages and commitment of germ cells to male or female fate. Chapters in this new release cover, amongst other topics, Mapping the Sox9 Enhancer Elements, Epigenetic Regulation of Sex Determination, Evolution and Management of Sex Chromosomes, Regulation of Germ Cell Sex Identity in Medaka, Control of Sex Determination in Zebrafish, Sexually Dimorphic Germ Cell Identity in Mammals, and more. - Contains reviews written by leading experts in each field - Includes informative figures that illustrate principle points that are useful for teaching - Written in a style that is clear and simple

The cloning of the SRY gene and the attainment of XX mice transgenic for the Sry gene opened a new era in research on sex determination. This book surveys current knowledge of sex chromosomes and sex determination in all vertebrate classes, relying on the restriction of genetic recombination in sex chromosomes as the unifying concept of this subject. The book's interdisciplinary approach integrates contributions from the fields of cytogenetics, molecular biology, developmental biology, and evolutionary genetics. A detailed treatment of the meiotic behavior of sex chromosomes is featured, and the entire text is supplemented by numerous schemes, drawings, and electron micrographs. The book will be valuable to general cytogeneticists, vertebrate zoologists, and veterinarian and medical practitioners interested in the foundations of sex determination and the current knowledge of sex chromosomes. It will also interest students in advanced undergraduate and graduate courses in these areas.

Awarded Bookauthority's "Best Aquaculture Books of all Time" A comprehensive resource that covers all the aspects of sex control in aquaculture written by internationally-acclaimed scientists Comprehensive in scope, Sex Control in Aquaculture first explains the concepts and rationale for sex control in aquaculture, which serves different purposes. The most important are: to produce monosex stocks to rear only the fastest-growing sex in some species, to prevent precocious or uncontrolled reproduction in other species and to aid in broodstock management. The application of sex ratio manipulation for population control and invasive species management is also included. Next, this book provides detailed and updated information on the underlying genetic, epigenetic, endocrine and environmental mechanisms responsible for the establishment of the sexes, and explains chromosome set manipulation techniques, hybridization and the latest gene knockout approaches. Furthermore, the book offers detailed protocols and key summarizing information on how sex control is practiced worldwide in 35 major aquaculture species or groups, including fish and crustaceans, and puts the focus on its application in the aquaculture industry. With contributions from an international panel of leading scientists, Sex Control in Aquaculture will appeal to a large audience: aquaculture/fisheries professionals and students, scientists or biologists working with basic aspects of fish/shrimp biology, growth and reproductive endocrinology, genetics, molecular biology, evolutionary biology, and R&D managers and administrators. This text explores sex control technologies and monosex production of commercially-farmed fish and crustacean species that are highly in demand for aquaculture, to improve feed utilization efficiency, reduce energy consumption for reproduction and eliminate a series of problems caused by mixed sex rearing. Thus, this book: Contains contributions from an international panel of leading scientists and professionals in the field Provides comprehensive coverage of both established and new technologies to control sex ratios that are becoming more necessary to increase productivity in aquaculture Includes detailed coverage of the most effective sex control techniques used in the world's most important commercially-farmed species Sex Control in Aquaculture is the comprehensive resource for understanding the biological rationale, scientific principles and real-world practices in this exciting and expanding field.

During the last two decades of the 20th century, the study of chromosomes was enormously stimulated by the availability of various biological resources, valuable databases and new genetic and molecular biological techniques including PCR and fluorescent in situ hybridization. The simultaneous development of new and effective systems for targeting genes and gene transfer led to astonishing advances also in the study of vertebrate sex chromosomes. We now have considerable insight into their evolution, the dosage compensation mechanisms in mammals that involve chromosome-wide chromatin remodeling triggered by noncoding Xist RNA, and the unique properties of the human X chromosome which comprises many genes important for sex determination and reproduction. This thematic issue of Cytogenetic and Genome Research presents an excellent and highly authoritative compilation of current research findings related to vertebrate sex chromosomes. The contributions - all prepared by experts in the field - reflect both the technical advances and the enormous gain in knowledge achieved in recent years. Many of these papers also provide important historical perspectives while some contain insightful personal views of the authors. This special volume therefore represents a stimulating and critical state-of-the-art source of information for investigators and students in this fascinating field.