Variance in the TGF- signaling pathway is emerging as an important mechanism by which gonadal sex determination is controlled in teleosts. female sex reversal, while mutation of alone could not. In contrast, overexpression of Amhy in XX fish, using a fosmid transgene that carries the haplotype or a vector made up of ORF under the control of CMV promoter, resulted in female to male sex reversal, while overexpression of Amh-y alone in XX fish could not. Knockout of the (with a missense SNP is the candidate sex determining gene and transmission is essential for male sex determination in Nile tilapia. These findings spotlight the conserved functions of TGF- signaling pathway in fish sex determination. Author Summary Unlike mammals, the identity of the grasp sex-determining gene varies among fish species, and it is not yet clear if there is a common molecular pathway regulating gonadal sex determination across teleosts. Here we show that a Y-linked duplicate 24699-16-9 IC50 of the (resulted in male to female sex reversal, while overexpression of it resulted in female to male sex reversal. A missense single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) (C/T) in the open reading frame (ORF) of might contribute to male sex determination in tilapia. Knockout of the (in Patagonian pejerrey, in into consideration, these data spotlight an important role for TGF- signaling in teleost sex determination. Introduction Grasp sex-determining (SD) genes are the important genetic switches controlling the gonadal sex differentiation cascade leading to the development of either ovaries or testes. To date, grasp SD genes have been identified in only a few vertebrate species. was the first sex determiner recognized in mammals [1, 2]. With the recent discovery that [3], Sox genes continue to physique prominently in discussions of vertebrate sex determination. (DM) related genes have been associated with sex determination in a wide range of species, including in chicken and half-smooth tongue single [4, 5], in African clawed frog [6], and in [7, 8]. Other genes have been implicated as grasp sex determiners in particular lineages, including in goat [9], and ((receptor ([12], and a Y-linked 24699-16-9 IC50 duplicate of a related ligand, ([13]. These findings suggest a critical role for TGF- signaling in gonadal sex determination in teleosts. Studies of mammalian sex chromosomes have provided significant insights into the development of sex determination, but SD genes have not yet been recognized in the vast majority of vertebrates. For example, teleost fishes make up nearly half of all living vertebrate species and show a wide variety of sex determination mechanisms [14], but only a handful of these sex determiners have been identified. Closely related species of fish frequently segregate different grasp sex determiners, suggesting that a delicately balanced network of Prokr1 gene interactions controls sex determination. For example, three different genes (gene on LG23 [21]. More recent studies recognized a Y-linked duplication of on LG23, termed a male-specific by a 233 bp deletion in exonVII [23]. Our own analyses have recognized five additional sex-linked markers on LG23 24699-16-9 IC50 that map very close to [22]. is located in the center of this sex-linked region and shows sexually dimorphic expression in the gonads at 3 days post fertilization [24], making it an interesting gene for sex determination in this species. is responsible for the regression of Mllerian ducts in tetrapods [25]. It is also found in teleost fish despite the fact that they do not have Mllerian ducts [23, 26C28]. In mammals, Amh functions primarily through the type II receptor AmhrII [25]. Mutations of in medaka and result in male to female sex reversal [12, 29]. These studies suggested that signaling might play a role in fish sex determination. Recent efforts have generated a number of important resources for tilapia research, including a genome sequence, a microarrayed fosmid library, and several gonadal transcriptomes [30C32]. TALEN and CRISPR/Cas9 gene knockout technologies have also been established in tilapia [33, 34]. The availability of these tools prompted us to try to isolate the SD gene in the Nile tilapia. In the present study, we isolated a Y-specific duplicate of the gene, designated as in XX fish, and we used CRISPR/Cas9 mutagenesis to knockout in XY fish. Our results suggest a conserved role for the TGF-signaling pathway in sex determination of vertebrates. Results Identification of a Y-linked 24699-16-9 IC50 duplication of gene, termed as and is a tandem duplicate located immediately downstream of (Fig 1a). The insertion of Y156 was about 40 kb, which was further confirmed by sequencing 25 fragments, each about 3 kb with partial overlapping ends. Fig 1 Schematic representation of gene structure on the Y and X chromosome. A.