In mammals, the timing of sex determination and a small number of the genes involved in gonadal development have been established. However, other so far unidentified genes are clearly involved in gonadal development, in avian and other species. Chick gonadal development was investigated by studying the morphology of the developing gonads and by attempting to gain a better understanding of the genes involved in the initial stages of this developmental process. The first approach was a histological analysis of chick gonadal development over the period from the indifferent gonad stage to the initial stages of ovary and testis differentiation. Secondly, we analyzed the expression of chick homologues to genes involved in mammalian gonadal development, in an attempt to compare gene regulation and timing of gonadal development between mammals and avians. Finally, we used the technique of differential display to both ascertain the feasibility of this approach in the identification of transcripts in a complex developmental system and to isolate novel genes involved in chick gonadal development. As a result of this study we were able to predict that the sex determination event in chicks occurred earlier in embryogenesis than previously documented. We also established that genes involved in mammalian gonadal development were expressed with similar expression profiles in the developing chick gonads. Finally, twelve candidate clones were isolated by differential display, five of which represented novel sequences. Expression profiles, during chick gonadal development and differentiation, were analyzed by Northern analysis and whole mount <I>in situ</I> hybridization to confirm differential expression.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:651942 |
| Date | January 1998 |
| Creators | Haines, Lynn Christine |
| Publisher | University of Edinburgh |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://hdl.handle.net/1842/14955 |
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