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PubMed1999

Sexual development of Aspergillus nidulans in tryptophan auxotrophic strains.

The interplay between sexual development and amino acid biosynthesis in the ascomycete Aspergillus nidulans was studied. The growth and differentiation of four tryptophan auxotrophic strains that are unable to regulate their tryptophan biosynthesis, were examined. These strains are sterile on medium containing low tryptophan concentrations. Fruitbody formation was restored by supplementation with high concentrations of tryptophan and was promoted by supplementation with indole or auxin. Tryptophan supplementation resulted in auxin production of A. nidulans. Fertility of ascospores of the tryptophan auxotrophic strains could only be partially re-established. trpC transcript levels and enzyme activities remained stable in cleistothecia and conidiophore extracts as compared to those of mycelium, while levels of gene transcripts involved in glycolysis were lower in fruitbodies and conidiospores. Auxotrophic strains unable to form fruitbodies at intermediate amino acid supplementation levels turned on the cross-pathway regulatory system that is induced by amino acid starvation. We conclude that there is a connection between the genetic network of cross-pathway control and sexual development in A. nidulans.

Aspergillus nidulans↗
PubMed1994

Sexual development of male Wistar rats.

1. Sexual development was investigated in male Wistar rats from 22 to 97 days of age by morphometric, biochemical and radioimmunological methods. 2. The first significant increase of plasma testosterone (T) occurred from 40 to 50 days of age and a progressive enhancement was observed thereafter to a maximum at 76 days (5.4 +/- 0.9 ng/ml). From that time onward, plasma T was gradually depressed to adult levels at 97 days of age (2.0 +/- 0.3 ng/ml). Plasma prolactin increased in parallel to T, reaching a maximum at 76 days (9.2 +/- 0.9 ng/ml) and attaining a lower plateau by 83 to 97 days of age (5.0 +/- 0.5 ng/ml). A small but significant increase was observed in plasma luteinizing hormone from 22 to 83 days of age. Plasma follicle stimulating hormone was high at 22 days, increased to a maximum at 40 days (15.4 +/- 0.6 ng/ml) and fell slowly to a lower plateau by 76 to 97 days of age. 3. Fructose content in the ventral prostate increased abruptly from 50 to 63 days of age (148.8 +/- 19.8 micrograms) and no significant change was observed thereafter. A progressive increase in the seminal vesicle fructose content was observed from 40 to 63 days (45.6 +/- 2.8 micrograms) when a plateau was reached. 4. The evolution of the germinal epithelium was investigated in cross-sections of seminiferous tubules analyzed at random for the presence of the most advanced germ cell and also for sperm production (estimated by the number of spermatids in stages 15 to 18 of spermiogenesis).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Age Factors↗
PubMed2003

Sexual development and the effects of active immunization against GnRH in Chinese Tanyang ram lambs.

Tanyang is one of the most important sheep breeds in the northwest of China. However, there is no detailed data on sexual development and timing of puberty/sexual maturity of this breed. This experiment was designed to study the relationships between growth rate and sexual development by measuring body weight, testis diameter, and plasma testosterone concentrations, and observing sexual behavior through puberty from 3 to 8 months old of entire Tanyang ram lambs. At same time, to assess the potential efficacy and welfare benefits of non-surgical castration, the effect of active immunization against gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) on sexual development and growth rate on ram lambs was evaluated, and compared with surgically castrated and entire lambs. The results showed that body weight increased at a constant rate from 3 to 8 months old of age. Testis diameter increased rapidly between 3 and 5 months, followed by a period of slow growth. Plasma testosterone concentrations increased sharply from 3 to 6 months of age (P<0.05), after which there were no significant changes from 6 to 8 months of age. Sexual behavior started from 5 months of age. After ram lambs were immunized against GnRH at 3 months of age, there was no increase in testis diameter in the first 4 months after immunization. Plasma testosterone concentrations remained at similar levels to surgically castrated lambs until 6 months of age, and the onset of sexual behavior was delayed, compared with entire ram lambs. GnRH immunization and surgical castration had no significant effect on the body weight by the end of this experiment. These results suggest that 4-5 months of age is a critical period for pubertal changes and testosterone plays an important role in the initiation of puberty and sexual maturity of Tanyang ram lambs in China. In addition, a single shot GnRH immunization at 3 months, acting as an alternative to surgical castration, is a practical method for Chinese Tanyang ram lambs, and provides animal welfare benefits.

Aging↗
PubMed1989

[Zinc and parlodel: the treatment potentials for retardation of growth and sexual development in nephropathies in adolescents].

Ten adolescents aged 10-18 years with physical and/or sexual development retardation associated with nephropathy were examined. Eight patients were treated with immunodepressants before and/or at the moment of examination. The difference between the age indicated in the patient's passport and bone age ranged within 0 to 3 years. On spermogram examination 3 of 4 patients manifested pathospermia. The serum prolactin level and the level of gonadotropins appeared normal but the testosterone content and plasma zinc level were lowered. As a result of the treatment with parlodel and/or zinc acetate for 1.5 to 23 months, 9 of 10 patients demonstrated the rise of the height and body weight and developed secondary sexual signs. In 3 of 4 patients examined for that parameter, the spermograms improved. In the whole group, the concentration of blood prolactin decreased, that of testosterone and zinc rose, whereas the content of gonadotropins remained unchanged.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

The rpl16a gene for ribosomal protein L16A identified from expressed sequence tags is differentially expressed during sexual development of Aspergillus nidulans.

We obtained 305 expressed sequence tags (ESTs), which are from the poly(A) site to the most proximal MboI site, from mycelia at the early sexual developmental (ESD) stage of Aspergillus nidulans. By comparison of these ESTs with those obtained previously from the vegetative stage and from the late sexual developmental stage followed by Northern blot analyses, genes of 17 ESTs were identified as being expressed more abundantly at the ESD stage than at the vegetative stage. Five of 17 genes were expressed more abundantly in the presence of the veA gene or the nsdD gene, suggesting that these 5 genes may be involved in sexual development. In a gene of one EST, appearing three times among 305 ESTs and identified by GenBank, polyadenylation seemed to occur at two sites. Nucleotide sequences of the gene having the EST and its cDNA revealed that the gene can code for a 202-amino-acid polypeptide with an estimated molecular mass of 23 kDa. The deduced amino acid showed 73% identity to Saccharomyces cerevisiae ribosomal protein L16A (RPL16A), and therefore the gene was named rpl16a. A. nidulans RPL16A had a putative leucine zipper motif and a basic leucine zipper motif like those of other organisms. The expression level of the rpl16a gene, present as a single copy in this organism, reached a maximum after 2 h, decreased thereafter, and increased again 30 to 50 h after the end of induction of sexual development. These results clearly indicated that the rpl16a gene is expressed differentially during sexual development.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Secondary sexual development of Cape coloured boys following kwashiorkor.

This report describes the secondary sexual development of 78 Cape Coloured male ex-kwashiorkor patients and 53 male controls. All patients were originally seen between 5 months and 4 years 4 months of age, treated and then followed up for 15 years after discharge. Age at peak height velocity (PHV) was available for 23 ex-patients and 15 controls. Maximum likelihood estimates of the mean age at entry to each pubertal stage were made and age at PHV was obtained by fitting a non-linear growth function to the data for each subject with appropriate serial height records. No significant differences were observed between ex-patients and controls for either the sequence of pubertal events or for the age of entry to each stage. When compared to a sample of normal British boys the Cape Coloured sample exhibited significant delay for ages at entry to all pubertal stages with differences ranging from 0.84 years for PH2 to 1.94 years for PH5. It is suggested that adrenal androgens play a major role in delaying secondary sexual development during chronic malnutrition and that the anterior pituitary's response to such conditions is to selectively delay pubertal status.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Cell differentiation during sexual development of the fungus Sordaria macrospora requires ATP citrate lyase activity.

During sexual development, mycelial cells from most filamentous fungi differentiate into typical fruiting bodies. Here, we describe the isolation and characterization of the Sordaria macrospora developmental mutant per5, which exhibits a sterile phenotype with defects in fruiting body maturation. Cytological investigations revealed that the mutant strain forms only ascus precursors without any mature spores. Using an indexed cosmid library, we were able to complement the mutant to fertility by DNA-mediated transformation. A single cosmid clone, carrying a 3.5-kb region able to complement the mutant phenotype, has been identified. Sequencing of the 3.5-kb region revealed an open reading frame of 2.1 kb interrupted by a 66-bp intron. The predicted polypeptide (674 amino acids) shows significant homology to eukaryotic ATP citrate lyases (ACLs), with 62 to 65% amino acid identity, and the gene was named acl1. The molecular mass of the S. macrospora ACL1 polypeptide is 73 kDa, as was verified by Western blot analysis with a hemagglutinin (HA) epitope-tagged ACL1 polypeptide. Immunological in situ detection of the HA-tagged polypeptide demonstrated that ACL is located within the cytosol. Sequencing of the mutant acl1 gene revealed a 1-nucleotide transition within the coding region, resulting in an amino acid substitution within the predicted polypeptide. Further evidence that ACL1 is essential for fruiting body maturation comes from experiments in which truncated and mutated versions of the acl1 gene were used for transformation. None of these copies was able to reconstitute the fertile phenotype in transformed per5 recipient strains. ACLs are usually involved in the formation of cytosolic acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA), which is used for the biosynthesis of fatty acids and sterols. Protein extracts from the mutant strain showed a drastic reduction in enzymatic activity compared to values obtained from the wild-type strain. Investigation of the time course of ACL expression suggests that ACL is specifically induced at the beginning of the sexual cycle and produces acetyl-CoA, which most probably is a prerequisite for fruiting body formation during later stages of sexual development. We discuss the contribution of ACL activity to the life cycle of S. macrospora.

ATP Citrate (pro-S)-Lyase↗
PubMed1991

One of the gang: sexual development of adolescents with physical disabilities.

The social implications of disability may affect the sexual development of adolescents with physical disabilities. Using the Peer Similarity Scale to measure the perceived similarity to or difference from nondisabled peers, this study surveyed adolescents with physical disabilities about their perceptions of their sexual development. The data indicate that while, in general, the adolescents see themselves as similar to nondisabled peers, adolescents with certain diagnoses may be more likely to anticipate difficulty in achieving desired adult sexual relationships and future goals.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

A putative rhamnogalacturonase required for sexual development of Neurospora crassa.

In previous work, the asd-I (ascus development) gene of the filamentous fingus Neurospora crassa was identified as a gene expressed preferentially during the sexual cycle and shown to be essential for normal sexual development. The asd-I gene has been sequenced and further characterized. It contains two introns, the first of which is in-frame and inefficiently or differentially spliced. The predicted ASD-I protein has extensive homology with rhamnogalacturonase B of Aspergillus aculeatus, which cleaves the backbone within the ramified hairy regions of pectin. In homozygous asd-I crosses, sexual development is initiated and large numbers of normal-sized asci are formed. Ascospore delineation does not occur, however, and no sexual progeny are produced. As most asd-I asci contain eight nuclei, the two meiotic divisions and subsequent mitotic division typical of normal crosses seem to occur, but the haploid nuclei are not partitioned into ascospores. In wild-type crosses, the ASD-I protein is present in large amounts in croziers and young asci, but it is only faintly detectable in more mature asci containing developing ascospores. Models to explain the possible role of a rhamnogalacturonase in sexual development are presented.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2006

Reproductive strategy, sexual development and attraction to facial characteristics.

Sexual reproduction strategies vary both between and within species in the level of investment in offspring. Life-history theories suggest that the rate of sexual maturation is critically linked to reproductive strategy, with high investment being associated with few offspring and delayed maturation. For humans, age of puberty and age of first sex are two developmental milestones that have been associated with reproductive strategies. Stress during early development can retard or accelerate sexual maturation and reproduction. Early age of menarche is associated with absence of younger siblings, absence of a father figure during early life and increased weight. Father absence during early life is also associated with early marriage, pregnancy and divorce. Choice of partner characteristics is critical to successful implementation of sexual strategies. It has been suggested that sexually dimorphic traits (including those evident in the face) signal high-quality immune function and reproductive status. Masculinity in males has also been associated with low investment in mate and offspring. Thus, women's reproductive strategy should be matched to the probability of male investment, hence to male masculinity. Our review leads us to predict associations between the rate of sexual maturation and adult preferences for facial characteristics (enhanced sexual dimorphism and attractiveness). We find for men, engaging in sex at an early age is related to an increased preference for feminized female faces. Similarly, for women, the earlier the age of first sex the greater the preference for masculinity in opposite-sex faces. When we controlled sexual dimorphism in male faces, the speed of sexual development in women was not associated with differences in preference for male facial attractiveness. These developmental influences on partner choice were not mediated by self-rated attractiveness or parental relationships. We conclude that individuals assort in preferences based on the rapidity of their sexual development. Fast developing individuals prefer opposite-sex partners with an increased level of sexually dimorphic facial characteristics.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

[Sexual development of Czech girls before and after November 1989].

BACKGROUND: It was revealed that sexual development and behaviour of adolescents, in particular girls, reflect rapidly and immediately changes in the social environment. The objective of the present investigation was to assess whether changes of the psychosexual development of girls occurred, i.e. girls examined in 1986 to 1989 and those examined after "velvet revolution" between 1990 to 1994. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using a interview based on a uniform examination pattern comprising 78 items, two sexologists examined in 1986 to 1994 the sexual development and behaviour of 771 Czech girls aged 16-18 years. This number comprised 317 apprentices and 454 secondary school students. The sexological examination was made in Frantiskovy Láznĕ where the probands were sent for preventive treatment, mostly after appendectomies. Comparison of the two sub-groups revealed that the apprentices and students reported changes as regards the motivation of the first sexual intercourse. After November 1989 there was a decline in the group "complied" and a marked increase of the number in the category "desired herself". It was surprising that the psychosexual development of girls after the "velvet revolution" was rather retarded than hastened. The most marked change was recorded in the category "intercourse with several partners" -a drop by 12% (p < 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: The findings that despite a markedly increased motivation for the first intercourse in the examined girls no changes were recorded in the girls in some items which characterize the development of sex life, is surprising.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Normal sexual development of rats exposed to butyl benzyl phthalate from conception to weaning.

Butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP) has been administered in drinking water (1000 micrograms/liter) to pregnant AP rats during gestation and lactation. The sexual development of the pups was then monitored until their termination at postnatal day 90 (pnd 90). Pups derived from animals exposed to diethylstilbestrol (DES) in drinking water (50 micrograms/liter) acted as a positive control group. Glass drinking bottles were employed following demonstration of absorption of BBP into plastic drinking bottles. Drinking water intake was monitored and the estimated average exposures of the dams was 182.6 micrograms/kg/day BBP and 8.6 micrograms/kg/ day DES. A total of 240 control pups, 204 BBP pups, and 64 DES pups were obtained for study. The sexual development of both genders of pups was monitored. The body weights of the DES pups were significantly reduced at birth, an effect that persisted until pnd 90. The body weights of the BBP pups were marginally increased at birth, but this difference resolved by pnd 90. DES affected the sexual development of the pups for all endopoints monitored-anogenital (AG) distance on pnd 2; average day of vaginal opening and prepuce separation; uterus, testes, and accessory sex gland weight; and cauda epididymis sperm count and homogenization resistant testicular sperm count at pnd 90. BBP failed to affect any of these parameters, with the exception of a 1.1-day advance in the average day of vaginal opening and a small increase in male AG distance on pnd 2. These last two effects are related to the increased weight of the BBP pups. The incidence of FSH-containing cells in the pituitary gland of animals from each group was unaffected at pnd 90. The effects observed for the DES pups are consistent with the results of earlier studies by Sharpe et al. (Environ. Health Perspect. 103, 1136-1143, 1995). However, the absence of an effect of BBP administration on pup testis weight and testicular sperm count at pnd 90 is in contrast to reductions in these measurements reported earlier by Sharpe et al. (Environ. Health Perspect. 103, 1136-1143, 1995) for similarly derived BBP pups.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

The ste13+ gene encoding a putative RNA helicase is essential for nitrogen starvation-induced G1 arrest and initiation of sexual development in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

When the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe is starved for nitrogen, the cells are arrested in the G1 phase, enter the G0 phase and initiate sexual development. The ste13 mutant, however, fails to undergo a G1 arrest when starved for nitrogen and since this mutant phenotype is not suppressed by a mutation in adenylyl cyclase (cyr1), it would appear that ste13+ either acts independently of the decrease in the cellular cAMP level induced by starvation for nitrogen, or functions downstream of this controlling event. We have used functional complementation to clone the ste13+ gene from an S. pombe genomic library and show that its disruption is not lethal, indicating that, while the gene is required for sexual development, it is not essential for cell growth. Nucleotide sequencing predicts that ste13+ should encode a protein of 485 amino acids in which the consensus motifs of ATP-dependent RNA helicases of the DEAD box family are completely conserved. Point mutations introduced into these consensus motifs abolished the ste13+ functions. The predicted Ste13 protein is 72% identical to the Drosophila melanogaster Me31B protein over a stretch of 391 amino acids. ME31B is a developmentally regulated gene that is expressed preferentially in the female germline and may be required for oogenesis. Expression of ME31B cDNA in S. pombe suppresses the ste13 mutation. These two evolutionarily conserved genes encoding putative RNA helicases may play a pivotal role in sexual development.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1987

Effect of neonatal melatonin administration on sexual development in the rat.

In order to study the mechanisms by which melatonin modulates sexual development, 5-day-old female Wistar rats have been treated with a single s.c. injection of melatonin, 3 h before the darkness onset. Criteria for sexual development were the age of vaginal opening and the circulating levels of prolactin, LH, FSH and estradiol. Also, pineal melatonin content was measured. There was a precocious puberty (P less than 0.01) in melatonin-treated rats measured by the age of the vaginal opening. An increase in the number of estrous smears over the whole period studied was observed in melatonin-treated animals as compared to controls. Along with these modifications, there was decrease in pineal melatonin content and serum prolactin levels, on day 21 of life (P less than 0.05), with an increase in both parameters on day 30 of age, in melatonin-treated rats as compared to controls, with no modifications at any other time studied. No differences were detected for serum LH levels considering the whole period studied for both groups. There was a faster decrease in plasma FSH levels with age in melatonin-treated animals than in controls. Serum estradiol levels were decreased in the peripubertal period in melatonin-treated rats as compared to controls. All these data suggest that the modifications induced by neonatal melatonin administration on prolactin, FSH and estradiol could be responsible for the precocious puberty shown in this study.

Aging↗
PubMed1991

Schizosaccharomyces pombe ste11+ encodes a transcription factor with an HMG motif that is a critical regulator of sexual development.

Schizosaccharomyces pombe ste11 encodes a member of the family of HMG-box proteins. Its transcript is induced in response to nitrogen starvation and a concomitant decrease of the intracellular cAMP level. Expression of ste11 is essential for induction of sexual development, and its ectopic expression stimulates uncontrolled mating and sporulation. Ste11 protein regulates positively transcription of the following genes required for sexual development: the mating type genes, matP and matM, and the mei2 gene, which is essential for commitment to meiosis. Ste11 protein synthesized in vitro binds specifically to a DNA fragment carrying a 10-base motif TTCTTTGTTY that is an essential cis-acting element for the induction of mei2 and is commonly seen in the upstream regions of the genes inducible by nitrogen starvation. These observations strongly suggest that Ste11 serves as a key transcription factor for sexual development.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Schizosaccharomyces pombe pac2+ controls the onset of sexual development via a pathway independent of the cAMP cascade.

The Schizosaccharomyces pombe pac2 gene encodes a protein of 235 amino acids not similar to any protein of known function. Cells over-expressing pac2 were poor in mating and sporulation. Expression of ste11, which encodes a key transcription factor for sexual development, was not inducible by nitrogen starvation in these cells. Cells defective in pac2 could express ste11 and enter sexual development under incomplete starvation conditions. Although expression of ste11 is regulated primarily by the cAMP cascade, genetic analysis indicated that this cascade and pac2 can partially compensate for each other in the regulation of sexual development, and that neither of them is epistatic over the other. Thus, Pac2 appears to control ste11 expression via a signaling pathway independent of the cAMP cascade.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1986

Effect of energy intake after weaning on the sexual development of beef bulls. II. Age at first mating, age at puberty, testosterone and scrotal circumference.

Simmental and Hereford bulls were individually fed varying levels of the same diet to determine the effect of energy intake after weaning on rate of sexual development. For 200 d, 29 Simmentals were fed an average of 14.6, 19.2 or 23.8 Mcal and 27 Herefords were fed 13.4, 17.5 or 22.2 Mcal metabolizable energy per bull daily. Higher energy did not hasten sexual development, as measured by serum testosterone, age at first mating or age at puberty. As energy level increased, weight at puberty increased (P less than .05) for both breeds, and scrotal circumference at puberty increased (P less than .05) for Simmentals. When adjusted for breed and energy level, bulls that were heavier at 1 yr of age had larger scrotal circumference (P less than .05) and were younger at puberty (P less than .01). Bulls that had higher serum testosterone at 1 yr of age reached puberty earlier (P less than .01). At a constant age there was no relationship between testosterone and scrotal circumference. Although higher levels of energy increased scrotal circumference of Simmentals, it did not hasten sexual development for either breed.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1982

Sexual development in a homothallic fission yeast: synthesis of readiness proteins resolved by gel electrophoresis.

Sexual development of a homothallic strain of Schizosaccharomyces pombe was monitored by radiolabelling and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Of more than 60 bands detected by Coomassie brilliant blue and by autoradiography, about 30 bands synthesized during development were discrete enough for experimental analysis. About a dozen bands are preferentially vegetative, another dozen preferentially developmental. However, vegetative bands as a group are also synthesized during development. Their synthesis is relatively unaffected by low concentrations of cycloheximide or by chloramphenicol and is not temperature sensitive at 37 degrees C nor catabolite repressible. Only band 40 (ca. 40 000 daltons) seems to be exclusively vegetative. The synthesis of developmental bands 13, 18, 24, 30, and alpha, all of which first appear during late-log phase, is catabolite repressible. Developmental band 51 is also synthesized throughout the vegetative phase. The synthesis of bands 24, 30, 51, and alpha is temperature sensitive at 37 degrees C during the development, but that of band 18 is not. The synthesis of band 13 during development is not temperature sensitive, but its earlier synthesis during late-log phase is. The synthesis of all these six developmental bands is immediately inhibited by cycloheximide, but not by chloramphenicol. Their appearance as a group of radioactive bands is greatly diminished in cultures grown in cycloheximide, in chloramphenicol, or in ethidium bromide. Developmental bands 13, 18, 24, and 30 may be called readiness proteins. They first appear prior to the earliest morphological signs of sexual activity. Their developmental synthesis is inhibited by conditions that inhibit sexual development. Such inhibitory conditions include anaerobiosis, restrictive temperature, aging in stationary phase, the presence of inhibitors of cytoplasmic protein synthesis and of mitochondrial function, and catabolite repression. Readiness proteins may be regulating the switch from vegetative metabolism.

Ascomycota↗