Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Joshua Moise-Silverman, Lawrence A. Silverman
Summary: Gonadotrophin dependent sexual precocity, known as central precocious puberty (CPP), refers to the premature reactivation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis before the normal age of pubertal onset. Females are more likely to have idiopathic CPP, while males diagnosed with CPP have a higher chance of having a defined etiology. Genetic variants and mutations causing CPP have been identified recently at the hypothalamic and pituitary level.
FRONTIERS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Leandro Soriano-Guillen, Manuel Tena-Sempere, Carlos E. Seraphim, Ana C. Latronico, Jesus Argente
Summary: Puberty is a crucial biological process involving sexual and somatic maturation, regulated by genetic, endogenous, and environmental factors. Recent research has revealed the essential roles of kisspeptins and neurokinin B in modulating the signaling pathways of pubertal maturation, as well as the effects of melanocortins and metabolic sensors. Precocious puberty, primarily affecting females, can be caused by alterations in the central nervous system and genetic mutations, such as those in the MKRN3 gene. Understanding the genotype-phenotype relationship in patients with precocious puberty is important for further research.
JOURNAL OF NEUROENDOCRINOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sara Trova, Serena Bovetti, Sara Bonzano, Silvia De Marchis, Paolo Peretto
Summary: Steroid hormones play important roles in vertebrates, especially in mammalian sexual development and brain neural circuits. Studies in recent decades have shown that sex steroids influence the organization of the brain structure during puberty, a critical period characterized by high sensitivity to external stimuli and significant remodeling of the organism's structure and function.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Amanda Cleemann Wang, Casper P. Hagen, Trine Holm Johannsen, Andre Greger Madsen, Line Hartvig Cleemann, Peter Christiansen, Katharina M. Main, Anders Juul, Rikke Beck Jensen
Summary: Differentiation between girls with ICPP and PT can be supported by individual clinical and biochemical parameters. However, dimension reduction of clinical and hormonal profiles by PCA improved the diagnostic value, which in the future may support the diagnostic process as a supplement to the GnRH test in evaluation of pubertal disorders.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGY & METABOLISM
(2023)
Review
Cell Biology
Eun Bee Lee, Iman Dilower, Courtney A. Marsh, Michael W. Wolfe, Saeed Masumi, Sameer Upadhyaya, Mohammad A. Karim Rumi
Summary: Kisspeptin (KP) and kisspeptin receptor (KPR) play essential roles in the development and function of gonads. There is sexual dimorphism in the expression and function of KP and KPR in the hypothalamus and other tissues. Gonadal hormones regulate KP neurons and affect reproductive function through pulsatile gonadotropin secretion. KP and KPR are also expressed in extrahypothalamic tissues. While the sexual dimorphism of hypothalamic KP is well characterized, little is known about extrahypothalamic KP.
Review
Pediatrics
Amanda Veiga Cheuiche, Leticia Guimaraes da Silveira, Leila Cristina Pedroso de Paula, Iara Regina Siqueira Lucena, Sandra Pinho Silveiro
Summary: Precocious sexual maturation is classified into central and peripheral, with girls more commonly affected and boys often associated with central nervous system abnormalities. Diagnosis requires hormonal assessment and imaging, with management depending on the underlying cause.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PEDIATRICS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Gengfu Wang, Geng Xu, Chao Zhang, Azhu Han, Guobao Zhang, Liru Chen, Guodie Xie, Fangbiao Tao, Tong Shen, Puyu Su
Summary: Increasing evidence suggests that maternal prenatal exposure to BPA during pregnancy may contribute to the early onset of puberty in female offspring. In this study, the critical time window of gestational BPA exposure was identified as the early and middle gestational stages. Maternal BPA exposure during these stages resulted in earlier vaginal opening and increased levels of kisspeptin-10 and GnRH in female offspring at PND 34. Mechanistically, this effect may be attributed, in part, to epigenetic programming of the Eed gene in the hypothalamus.
ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY
(2023)
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Valeria Calcaterra, Virginia Rossi, Giulia Massini, Corrado Regalbuto, Chiara Hruby, Simona Panelli, Claudio Bandi, Gianvincenzo Zuccotti
Summary: Puberty is a critical phase regulated by multiple endocrine and genetic controls. There is bidirectional interaction between sex hormones and the gut microbiome, and changes in the gut microbiome may be associated with the occurrence of precocious puberty.
FRONTIERS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Qiuyun Gu, Xiaodi Wang, Luyao Xie, Xinyuan Yao, Linxi Qian, Zhiping Yu, Xiuhua Shen
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the potential regulatory pathways of EGCG in preventing obesity-related precocious puberty. The results showed that EGCG could prevent precocious puberty through the NKB/NK3R signaling pathway.
JOURNAL OF NUTRITIONAL BIOCHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Luz Marina Sanchez-Mendoza, Carlos Perez-Sanchez, Sandra Rodriguez-Lopez, Chary Lopez-Pedrera, Miguel Calvo-Rubio, Rafael de Cabo, Maria I. Buron, Jose A. Gonzalez-Reyes, Jose M. Villalba
Summary: The study investigates the effect of sex on metabolic adaptations induced by overexpression of CYB5R3 and the modulation of key markers related to mitochondrial function in skeletal muscle. It was found that CYB5R3 overexpression leads to enhanced mitochondrial biogenesis and function, as well as increased mitochondrial abundance in skeletal muscle. These beneficial actions are predominantly observed in females, with differences in NADH levels and the abundance of cytochrome c and DRP-1. The results also show ultrastructural changes in transgenic females, including an increase in the number and size of mitochondria.
FREE RADICAL BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Emily A. Powell, J. Albert C. Uy
Summary: Sexually dichromatic signals are important in identifying the sex of conspecifics, but their utility can be reduced when polymorphism evolves. In this study, we examined the impact of polymorphism on the utility of sex-specific signals in two populations of reef geckos. We found that the presence of polymorphic males disrupted the sex-specific response to visual signals, but olfactory signals still played a role in sex discrimination. Our findings suggest that the loss of signal reliability in polymorphic populations can lead to a switch in the mode of sex recognition.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Emily C. Moore, Patrick J. Ciccotto, Erin N. Peterson, Melissa S. Lamm, R. Craig Albertson, Reade B. Roberts
Summary: For many vertebrates, a single genetic locus initiates a cascade of developmental sex differences, resulting in adults with two phenotypically distinct sexes. However, species with polygenic sex determination have multiple interacting sex determination alleles, allowing for more than two genotypic sexes. In the cichlid fish Metriaclima mbenjii, polygenic sex determination produces modular variation in morphological and behavioral traits, and the evolution or introgression of a newly acquired sex determiner creates additional axes of phenotypic variation.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Review
Biology
Nicolas Perrin
Summary: Studies on two families of amphibians, Ranidae and Hylidae, show that sex-antagonistic (SA) genes do not play a significant role in the evolutionary dynamics of their sex chromosomes. Instead, neutral processes and deleterious mutations are found to be more central in driving the evolution of sex chromosomes in these groups.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Joseph A. Pinto, Jhajaira M. Araujo, Henry L. Gomez
Summary: The composition of the tumor microenvironment is influenced by the interaction between tumoral and host factors, with sex differences mainly regulated by sex hormones affecting tumor-host interaction and immune system sexual dimorphism. Sex-specific differences exist in cancer susceptibility, treatment response, and the importance of sex as a biomarker in cancer therapy has recently gained attention due to varying results in immunotherapy treatment.
BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-REVIEWS ON CANCER
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Thea F. Rogers, Daniela H. Palmer, Alison E. Wright
Summary: Research shows that sex-specific patterns of splicing are correlated with phenotypic sex differences and may offer an important route to sex-specific adaptation. Understanding the role of gene regulation in males and females is crucial for the evolution of phenotypic sexual dimorphism.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)