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Naidu SJ, Arangasamy A, Selvaraju S, Binsila BK, Reddy IJ, Ravindra JP, Bhatta R. Maternal influence on the skewing of offspring sex ratio: a review. ANIMAL PRODUCTION SCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.1071/an21086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Rahman MS, Pang MG. New Biological Insights on X and Y Chromosome-Bearing Spermatozoa. Front Cell Dev Biol 2020; 7:388. [PMID: 32039204 PMCID: PMC6985208 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2019.00388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2019] [Accepted: 12/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
A spermatozoon is a male germ cell capable of fertilizing an oocyte and carries genetic information for determining the sex of the offspring. It comprises autosomes and an X (X spermatozoa) or a Y chromosome (Y spermatozoa). The origin and maturation of both X and Y spermatozoa are the same, however, certain differences may exist. Previous studies proposed a substantial difference between X and Y spermatozoa, however, recent studies suggest negligible or no differences between these spermatozoa with respect to ratio, shape and size, motility and swimming pattern, strength, electric charge, pH, stress response, and aneuploidy. The only difference between X and Y spermatozoa lies in their DNA content. Moreover, recent proteomic and genomic studies have identified a set of proteins and genes that are differentially expressed between X and Y spermatozoa. Therefore, the difference in DNA content might be responsible for the differential expression of certain genes and proteins between these cells. In this review, we have compiled our present knowledge to compare X and Y spermatozoa with respect to their structural, functional, and molecular features. In addition, we have highlighted several areas that could be explored in future studies in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Saidur Rahman
- Department of Animal Science and Technology and BET Research Institute, Chung-Ang University, Anseong, South Korea
| | - Myung-Geol Pang
- Department of Animal Science and Technology and BET Research Institute, Chung-Ang University, Anseong, South Korea
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The global male-bias in sex ratio at birth is sustained by the sex ratio genotypes of replacement offspring. Genetica 2019; 147:249-258. [DOI: 10.1007/s10709-019-00074-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2018] [Accepted: 07/18/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Mayer KH, Spitzer TLB. Offspring gender rates in active duty fighter pilots and flight officers. Reprod Toxicol 2019; 87:8-10. [PMID: 31059773 DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2019.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2018] [Revised: 04/30/2019] [Accepted: 05/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION It has been reported in small studies that fighter pilots have a higher likelihood of producing female offspring secondary to job-related exposures. No large-scale study has investigated this potential gender disparity. METHODS This retrospective study utilized electronic medical record systems to identify men with flight-related occupations within the U.S. military from September 2012 to January 2018. The gender of offspring born to those men at least one year after entry into the flight community were compared to gender rates of children born to the U.S. general population during the same time period. RESULTS 10,879 and 62,624 children born to fighter pilots and pilots of non-fighter type aircraft respectively were compared. The gender distribution of children born to both communities was similar to U.S. general population trends. CONCLUSIONS This large-scale study provides social reassurances that the degree of risk imposed on our nation's air defense force does not influence the gender balance of the subsequent generation.
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Bae J, Kim S, Chen Z, Eisenberg ML, Buck Louis GM. Human semen quality and the secondary sex ratio. Asian J Androl 2018; 19:374-381. [PMID: 26975484 PMCID: PMC5427797 DOI: 10.4103/1008-682x.173445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between semen quality and the secondary sex ratio (SSR), defined as the ratio of male to female live births. Our study cohort comprised 227 male partners who were enrolled prior to conception in Michigan and Texas between 2005 and 2009, and prospectively followed through delivery of a singleton birth. The male partners provided a baseline and a follow-up semen sample a month apart. Semen analysis was conducted to assess 27 parameters including five general characteristics, six sperm head measures, 14 morphology measures, and two sperm chromatin stability assay measures. Modified Poisson regression models with a robust error variance were used to estimate the relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of a male birth for each semen parameter, after adjusting for potential confounders. Of the 27 semen parameters, only the percentage of bicephalic sperm was significantly associated with the SSR (2ndvs 1st quartile, RR, 0.65, 95% CI, 0.45–0.95, P = 0.03; 4thvs 1st quartile, RR, 0.61, 95% CI, 0.38–1.00, P < 0.05 before rounding to two decimal places), suggestive of a higher percentage of bicephalic sperm being associated with an excess of female births. Given the exploratory design of the present study, this preconception cohort study suggests no clear signal that human semen quality is associated with offspring sex determination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jisuk Bae
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Catholic University of Daegu School of Medicine, Daegu 42472, Korea.,Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20852, USA
| | - Sungduk Kim
- Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20852, USA
| | - Zhen Chen
- Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20852, USA
| | - Michael L Eisenberg
- Department of Urology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305-5118, USA
| | - Germaine M Buck Louis
- Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20852, USA
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Scherb H, Kusmierz R, Voigt K. Human sex ratio at birth and residential proximity to nuclear facilities in France. Reprod Toxicol 2016; 60:104-11. [PMID: 26880420 DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2016.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2014] [Revised: 01/15/2016] [Accepted: 02/05/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The possible detrimental genetic impact on humans living in the vicinity of nuclear facilities has been previously studied. We found evidence for an increase in the human secondary sex ratio (sex odds) within distances of up to 35km from nuclear facilities in Germany and Switzerland. Here, we extend our pilot investigations using new comprehensive data from France. The French data (1968-2011) account for 36,565 municipalities with 16,968,701 male and 16,145,925 female births. The overall sex ratio was 1.0510. Using linear and nonlinear logistic regression models with dummy variables coding for appropriately grouped municipalities, operation time periods, and corresponding spatiotemporal interactions, we consider the association between annual municipality-level birth sex ratios and minimum distances of municipalities from nuclear facilities. Within 35km from 28 nuclear sites in France, the sex ratio is increased relative to the rest of France with a sex odds ratio (SOR) of 1.0028, (95% CI: 1.0007, 1.0049). The detected association between municipalities' minimum distances from nuclear facilities and the sex ratio in France corroborates our findings for Germany and Switzerland.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hagen Scherb
- Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Institute of Computational Biology, Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, D-85764 Neuherberg, Germany.
| | - Ralf Kusmierz
- Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Institute of Computational Biology, Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, D-85764 Neuherberg, Germany.
| | - Kristina Voigt
- Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Institute of Computational Biology, Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, D-85764 Neuherberg, Germany.
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Scherb H, Voigt K, Kusmierz R. Ionizing radiation and the human gender proportion at birth--A concise review of the literature and complementary analyses of historical and recent data. Early Hum Dev 2015; 91:841-50. [PMID: 26527392 DOI: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2015.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
It has long been known that ionizing radiation causes genetic mutations and that nuclear bomb testing, nuclear accidents, and the regular and incidental emissions of nuclear facilities enhance environmental radioactivity. For this reason, the carcinogenic and genetic impact of ionizing radiation has been an escalating issue for environmental health and human health studies in the past decades. The Windscale fire (1957) and the Chernobyl accident (1986) caused alterations to the human birth sex ratio at national levels across Europe, and childhood cancer and childhood leukemia are consistently elevated near nuclear power plants. These findings are generalized and corroborated by the observation of increased sex ratios near nuclear facilities in Austria, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and The Netherlands. We present a concise review of the pertinent literature and we complement our review by spatiotemporal analyses of historical and most recent data. Evidence of genetic damage by elevated environmental radioactivity is provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hagen Scherb
- Institute of Computational Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Ingolstaedter Landstrasse 1, D-85764 Neuherberg, Germany.
| | - Kristina Voigt
- Institute of Computational Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Ingolstaedter Landstrasse 1, D-85764 Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Ralf Kusmierz
- Institute of Computational Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Ingolstaedter Landstrasse 1, D-85764 Neuherberg, Germany
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Bae J, Kim S, Schisterman EF, Boyd Barr D, Buck Louis GM. Maternal and paternal serum concentrations of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances and the secondary sex ratio. CHEMOSPHERE 2015; 133:31-40. [PMID: 25863705 PMCID: PMC7502273 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2015.03.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2014] [Revised: 02/28/2015] [Accepted: 03/08/2015] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Select persistent environmental chemicals have been associated with a reduction in the secondary sex ratio (SSR), or the ratio of male to female live births. We evaluated preconception maternal, paternal, and couple serum concentrations of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in relation to the SSR, given the absence of previous investigation. Two hundred thirty-three couples from Michigan and Texas were enrolled prior to conception and prospectively followed through delivery of a singleton birth, 2005-2009. Maternal and paternal serum concentrations (ng mL(-1)) were measured at baseline for seven PFASs. Logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for a male birth, after adjusting for potential confounders. When maternal and paternal PFAS concentrations were modeled jointly, five of the seven PFASs, including the two most prominent PFASs, perfluorooctane sulfonic acid and perfluorooctanoic acid, were not significantly associated with the SSR. However, paternal N-methyl-perfluorooctane sulfonamidoacetic acid (MeFOSAA) and perfluorononanoic acid (2nd versus 1st tertile, OR, 0.43, 95% CI, 0.21-0.88) were significantly associated with an excess of female births. Meanwhile, a dose-response relation was observed only for paternal MeFOSAA (2nd versus 1st tertile, OR, 0.53, 95% CI, 0.26-1.10; 3rd versus 1st tertile, OR, 0.34, 95% CI, 0.13-0.89). This study suggests a possible dose-response relation between a less prevalent PFAS and a reversal in the SSR, though the underlying mechanisms remain unknown and the findings await corroboration to eliminate other explanations including chance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jisuk Bae
- Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 6100 Executive Boulevard, Rockville, MD 20852, USA; Department of Preventive Medicine, Catholic University of Daegu School of Medicine, 33 Duryugongwon-ro 17-gil, Nam-gu, Daegu 705-718, Republic of Korea.
| | - Sungduk Kim
- Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 6100 Executive Boulevard, Rockville, MD 20852, USA
| | - Enrique F Schisterman
- Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 6100 Executive Boulevard, Rockville, MD 20852, USA
| | - Dana Boyd Barr
- Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Germaine M Buck Louis
- Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
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Male pygmy hippopotamus influence offspring sex ratio. Nat Commun 2012; 3:697. [PMID: 22426218 PMCID: PMC3293421 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms1700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2011] [Accepted: 01/24/2012] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Pre-determining fetal sex is against the random and equal opportunity that both conceptus sexes have by nature. Yet, under a wide variety of circumstances, populations shift their birth sex ratio from the expected unity. Here we show, using fluorescence in situ hybridization, that in a population of pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis) with 42.5% male offspring, males bias the ratio of X- and Y-chromosome-bearing spermatozoa in their ejaculates, resulting in a 0.4337±0.0094 (mean±s.d.) proportion of Y-chromosome-bearing spermatozoa. Three alternative hypotheses for the shifted population sex ratio were compared: female counteract male, female indifferent, or male and female in agreement. We conclude that there appears little or no antagonistic sexual conflict, unexpected by prevailing theories. Our results indicate that males possess a mechanism to adjust the ratio of X- and Y-chromosome-bearing spermatozoa in the ejaculate, thereby substantially expanding currently known male options in sexual conflict. Some animal populations are able to shift their birth sex ratio from the expected unity. This study shows, using fluorescence in situ hybridization, that in a captive population of pygmy hippopotamus the males appear to be able to adjust the ratio of X- and Y-chromosome-bearing spermatozoa in their ejaculates.
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ROBERT KA, SCHWANZ LE. Emerging sex allocation research in mammals: marsupials and the pouch advantage. Mamm Rev 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2907.2010.00168.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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James WH. The variances of the distributions of the combinations of the sexes within mammalian litters: notes to mark the centenary of the problem. J Theor Biol 2009; 259:264-8. [PMID: 19336236 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2009.03.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2008] [Revised: 02/19/2009] [Accepted: 03/13/2009] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
It is 100 years since Gini noted that in some samples of litters of mice and rabbits, the variances of the distributions of the combinations of the sexes are sub-binomial. In other words, in contrast with binomial expectation, there are too many litters in which the sexes are equally balanced, and there are too few unisexual litters. In the intervening years, this finding has been replicated in a number of further species, but no explanation has become established. Potential explanations are reviewed here, and it is suggested that the most likely cause is that, at the time of formation of the zygotes, p, the probability that a zygote will be male, varies from one zygote to another within litters, thus constituting an example of Poisson variation. And it is a standard result in probability theory that such variation causes sub-binomial variance.
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Affiliation(s)
- William H James
- The Galton Laboratory, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Wolfson House, 4 Stephenson Way, London NW 1 2 HE, UK.
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Trends in Population Sex Ratios May be Explained by Changes in the Frequencies of Polymorphic Alleles of a Sex Ratio Gene. Evol Biol 2008. [DOI: 10.1007/s11692-008-9046-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Johannisson R, Leuschner E, Hüppe M, Hinrichs F, Al-Hasani S, Diedrich K, Schwinger E, Mennicke K. Increased frequency of X-bearing sperm in males from an infertility clinic: analysis by two-color fluorescence in situ hybridization. Cytogenet Genome Res 2003; 98:240-4. [PMID: 12826746 DOI: 10.1159/000071041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2002] [Accepted: 04/03/2003] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Semen samples from 34 men visiting the Lübeck infertility clinic were investigated using a two-color FISH method to determine the ratio of X- and Y-bearing sperm. The overall ratio was significantly shifted to a preponderance of X-containing sperm. A statistical comparison with seven reports from the literature which included 53 normal probands demonstrated in our patients a significant tendency of a preponderance of X-bearing sperm and significantly less Y-bearing sperm. Furthermore, the Lübeck sperm samples are remarkably more heterogeneous in respect to their variability of X- and Y-bearing spermatozoa than in the other mentioned studies with normal probands. These phenomena have to be evaluated in further studies on groups of infertile males showing similar infertility histories.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Johannisson
- Institute of Pathology, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, D-23538 Lübeck, Germany.
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