Evolution of genetic and gene regulatory sex differences in mammals

Sex differences are widespread in mammalian health, development, and disease. Ultimately, sex differences derive from the sex chromosomes; males are XY and females are XX, but the mammalian X and Y chromosomes evolved from an ancestral pair of ordinary autosomes. These genetic sex differences, through a variety of regulatory mechanisms, give rise to sex differences in gene expression across the genome, which in turn result in the observed phenotypic differences between males and females. In this thesis, I take an evolutionary perspective on this pathway, using computational analysis of both publically available and newly generated data to provide insight into the molecular basis of mammalian sex differences.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biology

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2019

Author dc:creator

• Naqvi, Sahin.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• David C. Page.

• Biology.

Statement dc:rights

• MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng