Abstract
The mechanisms by which testes can arise in the apparent absence of a Y chromosome are now becoming clarified. Evidence that Y chromosome-specific DNA occurs in the genomes of XX males has been produced (Guellaen et al. 1984; Vergnaud et al. 1986). It can be reasonably assumed that the testis determining factor (TDF) is amongst those DNA sequences that occur in many XX males. As only a small portion of Yp DNA is necessary to bring about maleness there is reason to believe that TDF alone is responsible for maleness. At any rate present evidence does not suggest that sequences from Yq and/or autosomes are involved in the determination of maleness. A current major challenge for molecular biologists is indeed to further map, characterize, and clone TDF, whose nature is totally unknown. This gene should be of general biological interest in that it may be highly conserved and thus identical or similar between species. In this brief update on current research we shall deal with a number of aspects of XX maleness that still need clarification.
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© 1987 The Organising Committee of the Ninth International Chromosome Conference, Marseille
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de la Chapelle, A. (1987). The genetic basis of testis determination in man. In: Stahl, A., Luciani, J.M., Vagner-Capodano, A.M. (eds) Chromosomes Today. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-9166-4_15
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-9166-4_15
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