Insights into Gonadal Sex Differentiation Provided by Single-Cell Transcriptomics in the Chicken Embryo.
Martin Andres Estermann, Sarah Williams, Claire Elizabeth Hirst, Zahida Yesmin Roly, Olivier Serralbo, Deepak Adhikari, David Powell, Andrew Thomas Major, Craig Allen Smith
Author Information
Martin Andres Estermann: Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia.
Claire Elizabeth Hirst: Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute (ARMI), Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia.
Zahida Yesmin Roly: Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia.
Olivier Serralbo: Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute (ARMI), Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia.
Deepak Adhikari: Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia.
Andrew Thomas Major: Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia.
Craig Allen Smith: Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia. Electronic address: craig.smith@monash.edu.
Although the genetic triggers for gonadal sex differentiation vary across species, the cell biology of gonadal development was long thought to be largely conserved. Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of gonadal sex differentiation, using single-cell sequencing in the embryonic chicken gonad during sexual differentiation. The data show that chicken embryonic-supporting cells do not derive from the coelomic epithelium, in contrast to other vertebrates studied. Instead, they derive from a DMRT1/PAX2/WNT4/OSR1 mesenchymal cell population. We find a greater complexity of gonadal cell types than previously thought, including the identification of two distinct sub-populations of Sertoli cells in developing testes and derivation of embryonic steroidogenic cells from a differentiated supporting-cell lineage. Altogether, these results indicate that, just as the genetic trigger for sex differs across vertebrate groups, cell lineage specification in the gonad may also vary substantially.
