The genetic basis of gender is being elucidated. When the FOXL2 gene is switched off in adult female mice, Any developed eggs in the ovary died and follicles which would normally grow into eggs turn into Sertoli-like cells, which produce sperm in the testes.
I guess there really is a man trapped in a woman's body -- genetically speaking.
Scientists have identified the gene that keeps females female. An international team found that the action of a single gene is all that stops females from developing male physical traits, including testes and facial hair.
When this gene was artificially “switched off” in adult female mice their ovaries began to turn into testes and they started to produce a level of testosterone found in healthy male mice.
The research, published today in the journal Cell, challenges a common perception that gender is determined purely by the X-chromosomes and Y-chromosomes. The gene that was switched off, known as FOXL2, lies on a non-sex chromosome that is shared by males and females.
The gene appears to have a “see-saw” relationship with another gene, SOX9, which is normally active only in males. When one is on, the other is automatically off. In the first few days of male development SOX9 is turned on, and this stops FOXL2 from becoming active for the rest of the man’s life. The reverse occurs in females, with FOXL2 being switched on first.
Scientists find single ‘on-off’ gene that can change gender traits
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