SexDiff · Sex differences in expression in the shared genome

Sex differences in expression in the shared genome

SEX DIFFERENCES IN EXPRESSION IN THE SHARED GENOME Males and females in many animals are strikingly different in behaviour, physiology, shape and form. In humans, rates of ageing and disease incidence vary markedly between the sexes. Moreover, sex differences in response to medical therapies and treatments have recently become an area of major biomedical concern. Because there are very few genes that are expressed in just one sex, sex differences are largely a product of contrasting patterns of gene expression between males and females. Despite their ubiquity and clear biomedical importance, the evolutionary causes of sex differences in gene expression remain essentially unknown and pose a fundamental problem for biologists: How do sex differences evolve given that the sexes largely share the same genome? My research addresses this fundamental question using three approaches: (1) a data-driven large-scale phylogenetic approach (2) capitalizing upon natural variation in male reproductive behavior in species with and without distinct male morphs and (3) genetic manipulation of chromosomes in Drosophila melanogaster. The results from this project will create comprehensive understanding of whether males and females differ in how gene expression is regulated and evolves. This broad research addresses the genomic basis of sex differences and has important implications for medical, developmental and evolutionary studies.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union