Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “dimorphism”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1978

An analysis of cercopithecoid odontometrics. II. Relations between dental dimorphism, body size dimorphism and diet.

Odontometric, dietary, and body weight data were collected for a sample of 29 cercopithecoid species. Each species was assigned to one of three diet classes (frugivore, folivore, and omnivore) , and indices were constructed to estimate the extent of sexual dimorphism in body weight, postcanine area and incisor width in each of the species. Analysis proceeded by means of the analysis of covariance with the dental dimorphism indices as the dependent variables. Body weight dimorphism was not significantly related to either measure of dental dimorphism across the sample, and an analysis by diet alone revealed that omnivores show significantly higher dental dimorphism than do either of the other two diet classes. The relationship between this result and theories of sexual subniche differentiation is discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Sexual dimorphism in newborns and adults.

A total of 1034 newborns were used to analyze sexual dimorphism with respect to 37 somatic traits and ratios between them, describing body shape. Arithmetic means and standard deviations were calculated for both sexes. Similarly, sexual dimorphism of adults was analyzed. Sexual differences in newborns were statistically significant for most measurements but only for some body proportions (relative chest size, foot shape, relative lower extremity length, and the ratio of head to chest circumference). The highest degree of sexual dimorphism in newborns was shown by the index standardized on the mean (dsex/mean) of such traits as the thickness of subcutaneous fat tissue on the thigh, subscapular fat tissue and fat tissue on the 10th rib, body weight, hand breadth, and relative chest size (Marty index). A moderate dimorphism was found for the length of upper extremities, forearm with the hand, head with the neck, hand and trunk, the size of the nose and foot, the breadth of hips and mandible, and the upper-face height. A low dimorphism was found for body length, circumference and breadth of head, face diameter, chest circumference, foot shape, relative length of lower extremities, and proportion between head and chest circumferences. Sexual differences (dsex/mean) for all the somatic traits examined in adults were statistically significant. The dimorphism of all the traits (except hip breadth) was higher in adults than in newborns. The highest increase in sexual dimorphism was noted for chest breadth (ca 55 times), then for chest depth (ca 17 times), thickness of subcutaneous fat tissue on arm (ca. 17 times), and the length of lower extremities (ca 15 times). Sexual differences in proportions (shape) of the body were also better pronounced in adults than in newborns. Sexual dimorphism standardized for dispersion (dsex/SD) in newborns differed from that in adults with respect to the degree of its expression and the sequence of the traits showing the highest and the lowest levels of dimorphism. This results from intra-group variation of different traits.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed2024

Variable resource allocation pattern, biased sex-ratio, and extent of sexual dimorphism in subdioecious Hippophae rhamnoides.

Evolutionary maintenance of dioecy is a complex phenomenon and varies by species and underlying pathways. Also, different sexes may exhibit variable resource allocation (RA) patterns among the vegetative and reproductive functions. Such differences are reflected in the extent of sexual dimorphism. Though rarely pursued, investigation on plant species harbouring intermediate sexual phenotypes may reveal useful information on the strategy pertaining to sex-ratios and evolutionary pathways. We studied H. rhamnoides ssp. turkestanica, a subdioecious species with polygamomonoecious (PGM) plants, in western Himalaya. The species naturally inhabits a wide range of habitats ranging from river deltas to hill slopes. These attributes of the species are conducive to test the influence of abiotic factors on sexual dimorphism, and RA strategy among different sexes. The study demonstrates sexual dimorphism in vegetative and reproductive traits. The sexual dimorphism index, aligned the traits like height, number of branches, flower production, and dry-weight of flowers with males while others including fresh-weight of leaves, number of thorns, fruit production were significantly associated with females. The difference in RA pattern is more pronounced in reproductive traits of the male and female plants, while in the PGM plants the traits overlap. In general, habitat conditions did not influence either the extent of sexual dimorphism or RA pattern. However, it seems to influence secondary sex-ratio as females show their significant association with soil moisture. Our findings on sexual dimorphism and RA pattern supports attributes of wind-pollination in the species. The observed extent of sexual dimorphism in the species reiterates limited genomic differences among the sexes and the ongoing evolution of dioecy via monoecy in the species. The dynamics of RA in the species appears to be independent of resource availability in the habitats as the species grows in a resource-limited and extreme environment.

Hippophae↗
PubMed1977

Sexual dimorphism in metacarpal dimensions and body size of Mexican school children.

The hypothesis that patterns of sexual dimorphism in transverse dimensions of the metacarpal only reflect sex differences in body size was investigated in a sample of 324 Mexican school children 6.00-10.99 years of age. Several patterns of sexual dimorphism in second metacarpal dimensions are seen with regard to stature and weight. Sex differences in medullary diameter and percent cortical area are not related to sexual dimorphism in body size, while sex differences in cortical thickness are related to, but not fully explained by, differences in body size. Dimorphism in metacarpal diaphyseal diameter is related to differences in body size, but, at a constant body size and age, boys still have significantly larger diaphyseal diameters than girls. Finally, sexual dimorphism in cortical area is closely associated with sex differences in body size.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2026

Integrated methylome and transcriptome analysis provides insight into DNA methylation-mediated networks in sexual dimorphism of Vernicia montana.

BACKGROUND: Sexual dimorphism is fundamental to reproduction in dioecious plants and is regulated by both genetic and epigenetic mechanisms. DNA methylation is a central epigenetic mark known to influence phenotypic variation in plants. However, its specific role in shaping sexual dimorphism in dioecious trees remains poorly understood. To address this question, we performed integrated genome-wide DNA methylome and transcriptome analyses of four tissue types in the dioecious tung tree (Vernicia montana), including male and female flower buds and their corresponding leaves. RESULTS: Our analysis revealed distinct DNA methylation patterns between male and female tissues. Notably, the coordination between DNA methylation reprogramming and transcriptional regulation appeared to be more strongly associated with reproductive development than with vegetative growth in V. montana. We identified a set of sex-biased genes that may reflect different reproductive strategies between the sexes. Further analysis identified several key transcription factors (TFs) potentially associated with promoter differentially methylated regions (DMRs), including flowering-time regulators (e.g., FRS5, REM16, and VRN1) and TFs involved in hormone signaling pathways such as jasmonic acid, auxin, and salicylic acid signaling. Cis-regulatory element analysis showed that some promoter DMRs overlapped with hormone response elements related to abscisic acid, auxin, and gibberellin. Co-expression network analysis further revealed potential regulatory correlations among promoter DMR-mediated TFs, hormone-responsive pathways, and key floral development regulators. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, our results suggest that interactions among DNA methylation, transcriptional regulation, and hormone-responsive pathways may contribute to the establishment of sexual dimorphism in V. montana. This study provides the first integrated view of these regulatory layers in V. montana and supports a species-specific regulatory framework for understanding the epigenetic basis of sexual dimorphism in this economically important dioecious tree. The proposed framework is based on multi-omics analyses and warrants further validation through targeted functional studies.

DNA Methylation↗
PubMed1978

Sexual dimorphism in the growth of the cranium.

The major sexual dimorphisms in body size appear at puberty but, by then, 95% of the growth of the cranium is completed. As sexual dimorphism in the cranium is as great as for other parts of the body, this suggests that it must appear at an earlier age, and that cranium/body size ratios for the two sexes will vary during growth. Results from a longitudinal study of Montreal children are used to investigate this phenomenon. The effect is expressed quantitatively by proportional growth and growth velocity curves, based on the final size of boys, which show that the dimorphism indeed makes an early appearance. The data are also analyzed on an age scale relative to the ages of peak growth velocity in stature, derived from the individual growth curves. This shows that although there is a minor pubertal spurt in growth for the external cranial dimensions of boys, it contributes relatively little to the final dimorphism in cranial size. To summarize this aspect of growth, an index of cephalization is calculated: head length X head width/stature. Cross-sectional standards for the change of the mean index with age show a linear decline for boys and girls until puberty, with a constant difference between them. After puberty, the index becomes equal in the two sexes. Individual development curves for the index are however not linear.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1976

The nature and development of sex attractant specificity in cockroaches of the genus Periplaneta. I. Sexual dimorphism in the distribution of antennal sense organs in five species.

Sexual dimorphism in the distribution of antennal sense organs is common among adults of the genus Periplaneta. In three out of the four strains of Periplaneta americana examined, adult males had more contact chemoreceptros than females. In the fourth strain of P. americana and in P. australasiae, P. brunnea, P. fuliginosa, and P. japonica, no statistically supportable sexual dimorphism of contact chemoreceptors was found. However, in all strains and species of Periplaneta examined, sexual dimorphism was found in the total number and/or density of olfactory sensilla. Male adults had nearly twice as many olfactory sensilla as female adults. These observations are consistent with the behavioral observation that males within the genus Periplaneta rely on the reception of an airborne pheromone for the initiation of courtship behavior. In P. americana, where sexual dimorphism was found in the contact chemoreceptors, contact stimuli release the full wing raising display and presentation in males during courtship.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

A human dimorphism resulting from loss of an Alu.

The molecular phylogeny of Alu and other repeated sequences in the human genome provides clues to events during primate evolution. A subclass of human Alu's has been previously identified as dimorphic insertions within members of the medium reiteration frequency (mer) class of repeats, reflecting the complicated sequence of insertion and radiation events leading to the current human genome structure. One dimorphic Alu is located within a previously unidentified mer family member, in the first intron of the human T4 (CD4) gene. The insertion (Alu+ allele) has a frequency of approximately 70% in Europeans and Africans and is homozygous in 20 Asian samples. Polymerase chain reaction amplification, direct DNA sequencing, and Southern analysis using oligonucleotide probes revealed that the Alu- allele was derived from the Alu+ allele by loss of part of the inserted sequence. Comparison with a tightly linked marker within the human genome and studies of baboon DNA samples revealed that the original insertion was a relatively early event in primate evolution, but that the Alu sequence loss leading to the dimorphism has occurred much more recently. Loss of Alu insertions therefore represents one mechanism for the generation of human Alu dimorphisms.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

Ontogenetic aspects of sexual dimorphism and the primary immune response to sheep erythrocytes in hamsters from prepuberty through senescence.

Ontogeny of the primary response to sheep erythrocytes of age-matched groups of male and female hamsters was studied at various chronological ages ranging from prepuberty to senescence. Selected organs were likewise weighed upon sacrifice to obtain developmental patterns. Adrenal weights were higher in the male, and pituitary weights were higher in the female; for both organs typical dimorphism was demonstrable by 36 days. Spleen weight and index favored the female by 46 days. Immunological sex dimorphism first appeared in groups injected at 53 days and autopsied at 58 days and persisted through senescence. Sexual dimorphism of antibody-mediated immunity, previously shown to favor the female in both the primary and secondary immune responses, thus follows the dimorphism of total amount of splenic lymphoid tissue and occurs shortly after realization of sexual maturity in the male. These findings support our previous suggestion of the suppressive effect of androgens on the antibody-mediated immune responsiveness of the male hamster.

Adrenal Glands↗
PubMed2025

Multi-omic integration with human dorsal root ganglia proteomics highlights TNFα signalling as a relevant sexually dimorphic pathway.

The peripheral nervous system (PNS) plays a critical role in pathological conditions, including chronic pain disorders, that manifest differently in men and women. To investigate this sexual dimorphism at the molecular level, we integrated quantitative proteomic profiling of human dorsal root ganglia (hDRG) and peripheral nerve tissue into the expanding omics framework of the PNS. Using data-independent acquisition (DIA) mass spectrometry, we characterized a comprehensive proteomic profile, validating tissue-specific differences between the hDRG and peripheral nerve. Through multi-omic analyses and in vitro functional assays, we identified sex-specific molecular differences, with TNFα signalling emerging as a key sexually dimorphic pathway with higher prominence in men. Genetic evidence from genome-wide association studies further supports the functional relevance of TNFα signalling in the periphery, while clinical trial data and meta-analyses indicate a sex-dependent response to TNFα inhibitors. Collectively, these findings underscore a functionally sexual dimorphism in the PNS, with direct implications for sensory and pain-related clinical translation.

Humans↗
PubMed1975

The postnatal development of the sexually dimorphic duct system and of amylase activity in the submandibular glands of mice.

The submandibular glands of developing and mature Strong A mice were studied by light and electron microscopy. The glands of both sexes show the same cell types during development, but during maturation the glands display a degree of sex-dimorphism. Striated ducts, which differentiate from the larger intralobular ducts present in the neonatal gland, first appear by 5 days of age and reach their mature condition by 20 days of age. Granular convoluted tubule cells, which differentiate from striated duct cells, are first seen at 15 days of age in both sexes. Subsequently, they show a more rapid development in males than in females, and are dimorphically represented by 20 days of age. Intercalated ducts in the neonatal gland contain nongranular and granular cells. With maturation the number of granular cells decreases, apparently due to their conversion into the nongranular type, with their eventual disappearance from the glands of adult males. Their retention in adult females further defines the sexual dimorphism shown by these glands. Amylase activity in gland homogenates is first detectable at 20 days of age in both sexes. During development the male glands show a rapid rise in levels of amylase activity, whereas female glands show a more gradual rise. In mature animals, male glands have higher levels of amylase activity than female glands. The developmental and adult status of amylase activity parallels that of the granular convoluted tubules.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1992

Estrogen receptive neurons in the preoptic area of the rat are postsynaptic targets of a sexually dimorphic enkephalinergic fiber plexus.

The periventricular preoptic area (pePOA) is a sexually dimorphic component of the rat forebrain that contains a sexually dimorphic Met-enkephalin immunoreactive (ENK-ir) fiber plexus. This plexus is especially dense in the female while only scattered ENK-ir fibers are present in the pePOA of the male. Abundant estrogen receptive neurons are located in the pePOA of both the female and male. This experiment was conducted to determine if estrogen receptive neurons in the pePOA are postsynaptic targets of ENK-ir terminals. Double label ultrastructural localization of estrogen receptor (ER)-ir neurons and ENK-ir fibers was performed using the chromogens 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) and diaminobenzidine tetrahydrochloride (DAB), respectively. TMB-stained ER-ir neurons contained electron dense crystalline spicules located predominantly in their nuclei. Flocculent DAB reaction product was distributed over membraneous structures in ENK-ir fibers and terminals. Numerous ER-ir neurons were present in the pePOA of the male and female. In females, many ENK-ir terminals, both synaptic and non-synaptic, contacted the perikarya of ER-ir neurons. In contrast, many fewer ENK-ir terminals made contact on ER-ir neurons in the male. Thus, these results provide morphological evidence that ENK-ir neurons can regulate ER-ir neurons in the pePOA. Moreover, because expression of the ENK-ir pePOA fiber plexus is estrogen-sensitive in the female, these results suggest strongly that estrogen may regulate these neurons both pre- and postsynaptically. Finally, these results provide additional evidence for the involvement of the sexually dimorphic pePOA ENK-ir fibers plexus in the control of estrogen-mediated function in the female.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Sex dimorphism in adult stature in four Chilean populations.

The sex dimorphism for adult stature is compared in four Chilean populations which differ in their Amerindian ABO blood group composition. Statistical analysis revealed a significant association between sex dimorphism and Amerindian admixture in these populations. Assuming, on one hand, that sex chromosomes have an influence on adult stature and human growth and considering, on the other, that the four populations differ in their X and Y chromosome composition as a consequence of an asymmetrical inter-racial marriage practice, it is postulated that the observed association between sex dimorphism and Amerindian gene composition is a result of this peculiar mating structure.

ABO Blood-Group System↗
PubMed2026

Fairness-aware supervised hierarchical contrastive semantic learning for sexual dimorphism analysis.

MOTIVATION: Sexual dimorphism is a fundamental biological determinant driving systematic differences in disease susceptibility, progression, and clinical outcomes. However, current sex-combined AI-based genomic models often exhibit algorithmic bias and fail to capture these sex-specific mechanisms, creating a critical barrier to unbiased precision medicine. Ensuring fairness in the context of sexual dimorphism requires understanding and addressing the distinct biological mechanisms functioning in each sex, rather than focusing solely on equalizing predictive performance. RESULTS: We propose a fairness-aware supervised hierarchical contrastive learning approach, called FairHICON, to discover unbiased sex-common and sex-specific predictive features. Evaluations on cancer and asthma transcriptomic datasets demonstrate that FairHICON significantly outperforms state-of-the-art benchmarks, improving predictive performance by up to 9% while effectively reducing the performance gap between male and female sexes. Furthermore, prognostic validation confirms that the identified sex-specific pathways stratify patient survival significantly better within their corresponding sex groups. This validates FairHICON to elucidate the molecular heterogeneity of sexual dimorphism, advancing inclusive precision medicine. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: The source code and data is available at https://github.com/datax-lab/FairHICON.

Sex Characteristics↗
PubMed1977

Sexual dimorphism of bone robusticity in different strains of rats.

A quantitative method was used to establish the sexual dimorphism of bone robusticity in 10 domesticated strains of rats and in wild rats. Sexual dimorphism had its highest frequency in the pelvis, followed by the ulna, the skull, and the femur and tibia. Humerus and tail showed the lowest frequency of such sexual dimorphism. This distribution in an unspecialized mammal such as the rat, in which selective pressures are at their minimum becauses of the factor of domestication, can serve as a baseline for comparison with taxa in which selective forces are more strongly active.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Sexual dimorphism of skeletal robusticity in several mammalian orders.

This study tries to determine whether a phylogenetic trend exists in the sexual dimorphism of skeletal robusticity and whether domestication has an effect on it. The problems were studied in the metatarsals of marsupials, insectivores, rodents and primates including Homo, and in various skeletal sections of wild and domesticated rats and dogs. No clear phylogenetic trend could be found and domestication cannot be shown to have an effect on diminishing skeletal robusticity. Sexual dimorphism of skeletal robusticity seems to be highly species-specific and to have a mosaic distribution in a given taxon. Conclusions on phylogenetic trends of sexual dimorphism of skeletal robusticity and the effect of culture on it seem to be premature.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Sexual dimorphism and growth hormone regulation of a hybrid gene in transgenic mice.

The sexually dimorphic expression of the urinary protein genes of mice (Mup genes) in the liver is mediated by the different male and female temporal patterns of circulating GH. Normal females were induced to male levels when GH was administered by injection to mimic the male GH pattern, showing that expression at the male level does not require a male sex steroid status in addition to intermittent GH. Two Mup-alpha 2u-globulin hybrid transgenes with different Mup gene promoters showed sexually dimorphic expression, and their expression in females increased to male levels upon testosterone treatment. GH-deficient (lit/lit) mice did not express these transgenes, and GH-deficient females did not respond to testosterone treatment, showing that GH was required for induction. Both normal and GH-deficient females were induced to male levels when GH was administered by injection. This is the first report of a transgene responsive to GH. A transgene consisting of a Mup promoter fused to a Herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase reporter sequence also showed sexual dimorphism, although to a lesser degree. It was expressed at the same level in normal females and GH-deficient mice of both sexes and was induced when GH-deficient mice were treated with GH. We propose that this transgene has a basal constitutive expression, possibly due to the absence of any rodent DNA downstream of the promoter. Since expression of the transgene was significantly induced by GH, the GH response is due at least in part to sequences in the promoter region.

Alpha-Globulins↗
PubMed1975

[Functional dimorphism in satellite chromosomes in hamadryas baboons].

Dimorphism of satellite chromosomes observed in bone marrow of female as well as male Papio hamadryas, and in continuous cultures of the monkey haemopoetic cells is described. Most frequently the observed dimorphism is expressed in different lengths of satellite arms. The structural dimorphism of satellite chromosomes seen in Macaca, Papio and other genera may seem to originate from different degrees of functional activity of these chromosomes. The active homologue is longer since its satellite arm is less spiralized.

Animals↗