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BMC Genomics Jun 2023Rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta, RMs) are widely used in sexual maturation studies due to their high genetic and physiological similarity to humans. However, judging...
Rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta, RMs) are widely used in sexual maturation studies due to their high genetic and physiological similarity to humans. However, judging sexual maturity in captive RMs based on blood physiological indicators, female menstruation, and male ejaculation behavior can be inaccurate. Here, we explored changes in RMs before and after sexual maturation based on multi-omics analysis and identified markers for determining sexual maturity. We found that differentially expressed microbiota, metabolites, and genes before and after sexual maturation showed many potential correlations. Specifically, genes involved in spermatogenesis (TSSK2, HSP90AA1, SOX5, SPAG16, and SPATC1) were up-regulated in male macaques, and significant changes in gene (CD36), metabolites (cholesterol, 7-ketolithocholic acid, and 12-ketolithocholic acid), and microbiota (Lactobacillus) related to cholesterol metabolism were also found, suggesting the sexually mature males have stronger sperm fertility and cholesterol metabolism compared to sexually immature males. In female macaques, most differences before and after sexual maturity were related to tryptophan metabolism, including changes in IDO1, IDO2, IFNGR2, IL1Β, IL10, L-tryptophan, kynurenic acid (KA), indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), indoleacetaldehyde, and Bifidobacteria, indicating that sexually mature females exhibit stronger neuromodulation and intestinal immunity than sexually immature females. Cholesterol metabolism-related changes (CD36, 7-ketolithocholic acid, 12-ketolithocholic acid) were also observed in female and male macaques. Exploring differences before and after sexual maturation through multi-omics, we identified potential biomarkers of sexual maturity in RMs, including Lactobacillus (for males) and Bifidobacterium (for females) valuable for RM breeding and sexual maturation research.
Topics: Humans; Animals; Male; Female; Macaca mulatta; Tryptophan; Sexual Maturation; Multiomics; Semen
PubMed: 37286946
DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09404-3 -
Environment International Mar 2020Phthalates are endocrine disrupting compounds commonly found in consumer products, exposure to which may influence reproductive maturation. Effects from exposure in...
Phthalates are endocrine disrupting compounds commonly found in consumer products, exposure to which may influence reproductive maturation. Effects from exposure in utero on the onset and progression of sexual development are understudied. We examined longitudinal associations between gestational phthalate exposure and sexual maturation at two points in adolescence (8-14, 9-18 years). Gestational exposure was quantified using the geometric mean of 3 trimester-specific urinary phthalate metabolite measurements. Sexual maturation was assessed using Tanner stages and menarche onset for girls and Tanner stages and testicular volume for boys. Generalized estimating equations for correlated ordinal multinomial responses were used to model relationships between phthalates and odds of transitioning to the next Tanner stage, while generalized additive (GA) mixed models were used to assess the odds of menarche. All models were adjusted for child age (centered around the mean), BMI z-score, change in BMI between visits, time (years) between visits (ΔT), and interactions between ΔT and mean-centered child age and the natural log of exposure metabolite concentration. Among girls, a doubling of gestational MBzP concentrations was associated with increased odds of being at a higher Tanner stage for breast development at 8-14 years (OR = 4.62; 95% CI: 1.38, 15.5), but with slower progression of breast development over the follow-up period (OR = 0.65 per year; 95% CI: 0.46, 0.92) after adjustment for child age and BMI z-score. Similar results were found for ∑DEHP levels and breast development. In boys, a doubling of gestational MBP concentrations was associated with lower odds of being at a higher Tanner stage for pubic hair growth at 8-14 years (OR = 0.37; 95% CI: 0.14, 0.95) but with faster progression (OR: 1.28; 95% CI: 0.97, 1.69). These results indicate that gestational phthalate exposures may impact the onset and progression of sexual development, and that these relationships differ between boys and girls.
Topics: Adolescent; Child; Cities; Female; Humans; Male; Mexico; Phenols; Phthalic Acids; Sexual Maturation
PubMed: 31931345
DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.105469 -
Critical Reviews in Toxicology Mar 2000In 1996, the US Environmental Protection Agency was given a mandate by Congress to develop a screening program that would evaluate whether variously identified compounds... (Review)
Review
In 1996, the US Environmental Protection Agency was given a mandate by Congress to develop a screening program that would evaluate whether variously identified compounds could affect human health by mimicking or interfering with normal endocrine regulatory functions. Toward this end, the Agency chartered the Endocrine Disruptor Screening and Testing Advisory Committee in October of that year that would serve to recommend a series of in vitro and in vivo protocols designed to provide a comprehensive assessment of a chemical's potential endocrine-disrupting activity. A number of these protocols have undergone subsequent modification by EPA, and this review focuses specifically on the revised in vivo screening procedure recommended under the title Research Protocol for Assessment of Pubertal Development and Thyroid Function in Juvenile Female Rats. Background literature has been provided that summarizes what is currently known about pubertal development in the female rat and the influence of various forms of pharmaceutical and toxicological insult on this process and on thyroid activity. Finally, a section is included that discusses technical issues that should be considered if the specified pubertal endpoints are to be measured and successfully evaluated.
Topics: Animals; Female; Hazardous Substances; Humans; Rats; Reference Standards; Sexual Maturation; Thyroid Diseases; Thyroid Gland; Toxicity Tests; United States; United States Environmental Protection Agency
PubMed: 10759430
DOI: 10.1080/10408440091159185 -
Rheumatology International Aug 2013Children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) exhibit a compromised growth status while information concerning the pattern of their sexual maturity is scant. The aim...
Children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) exhibit a compromised growth status while information concerning the pattern of their sexual maturity is scant. The aim of the current work was to study sexual maturity in boys and girls with JRA. The study included eighty JRA patients they were 45 male and 35 female and eighty age- and sex-matched normal children served as controls. Development of genitalia was evaluated as per sexual maturity rating criteria given by Tanner score. Development of hair (pubic, axillary and facial) and age of monarch to JRA females were noted The mean (±SD) age of appearance of genitalia stage G-2 in boys with systemic onset JRA (12.0 ± 0.3 years) was earlier when compared with pauciarticular (12.60 ± 0.93 years) and polyarticular (13.39 ± 0.93 years) JRA but delayed for all types of JRA when compared with controls (10.06 ± 0.63 years). In comparison with female groups, the mean (±SD) age of appearance of genitalia stage G-2 with systemic onset JRA (12.0 ± 0.4 years) was also earlier when compared with pauciarticular (12.68 ± 1.09 years) and polyarticular (13.72 ± 0.39 years). Age of menarche delayed in all JRA female patients. None of the study group reach stage G-5 of genitalia development. The timing of initiation of sexual maturity in boys and girls with JRA delayed and this delay variable according to disease subtype.
Topics: Adolescent; Arthritis, Juvenile; Child; Egypt; Female; Humans; Male; Sexual Maturation
PubMed: 23430157
DOI: 10.1007/s00296-013-2683-6 -
BMC Genomics Jun 2022Despite sexual development being ubiquitous to vertebrates, the molecular mechanisms underpinning this fundamental transition remain largely undocumented in many...
BACKGROUND
Despite sexual development being ubiquitous to vertebrates, the molecular mechanisms underpinning this fundamental transition remain largely undocumented in many organisms. We designed a time course experiment that successfully sampled the period when Atlantic salmon commence their trajectory towards sexual maturation.
RESULTS
Through deep RNA sequencing, we discovered key genes and pathways associated with maturation in the pituitary-ovarian axis. Analyzing DNA methylomes revealed a bias towards hypermethylation in ovary that implicated maturation-related genes. Co-analysis of DNA methylome and gene expression changes revealed chromatin remodeling genes and key transcription factors were both significantly hypermethylated and upregulated in the ovary during the onset of maturation. We also observed changes in chromatin state landscapes that were strongly correlated with fundamental remodeling of gene expression in liver. Finally, a multiomic integrated analysis revealed regulatory networks and identified hub genes including TRIM25 gene (encoding the estrogen-responsive finger protein) as a putative key regulator in the pituitary that underwent a 60-fold change in connectivity during the transition to maturation.
CONCLUSION
The study successfully documented transcriptome and epigenome changes that involved key genes and pathways acting in the pituitary - ovarian axis. Using a Systems Biology approach, we identified hub genes and their associated networks deemed crucial for onset of maturation. The results provide a comprehensive view of the spatiotemporal changes involved in a complex trait and opens the door to future efforts aiming to manipulate puberty in an economically important aquaculture species.
Topics: Animals; Epigenome; Female; Ovary; Sequence Analysis, RNA; Sexual Maturation; Transcriptome
PubMed: 35650521
DOI: 10.1186/s12864-022-08514-8 -
Critical Reviews in Toxicology Mar 2000Puberty in mammalian species is a period of rapid interactive endocrine and morphological changes. Therefore, it is not surprising that exposure to a variety of... (Review)
Review
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals: prepubertal exposures and effects on sexual maturation and thyroid function in the male rat. A focus on the EDSTAC recommendations. Endocrine Disrupter Screening and Testing Advisory Committee.
Puberty in mammalian species is a period of rapid interactive endocrine and morphological changes. Therefore, it is not surprising that exposure to a variety of pharmaceutical and environmental compounds has been shown to dramatically alter pubertal development. This concern was recognized by the Endocrine Disrupter Screening and Testing Advisory Committee (EDSTAC) that acknowledged the need for the development and standardization of a protocol for the assessment of the impact of endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDC) in the pubertal male and recommended inclusion of an assay of this type as an alternative test in the EDSTAC tier one screen (EPA, 98). The pubertal male protocol was designed to detect alterations of pubertal development, thyroid function, and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) system peripubertal maturation. In this protocol, intact 23-day-old weanling male rats are exposed to the test substance for 30 days during which pubertal indices are measured. After necropsy, reproductive and thyroid tissues are weighed and evaluated histologically and serum taken for hormone analysis. The purpose of this review was to examine the available literature on pubertal development in the male rat and evaluate the efficacy of the proposed protocol for identifying endocrine-disrupting chemicals. The existing data indicate that this assessment of puberty in the male rat is a simple and effective method to detect the EDC activity of pesticides and toxic substances.
Topics: Animals; Hazardous Substances; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System; Male; Rats; Sexual Maturation; Testis; Thyroid Diseases; Thyroid Gland; Toxicity Tests; United States; United States Environmental Protection Agency
PubMed: 10759431
DOI: 10.1080/10408440091159194 -
Annals of Human Biology Jul 1975Ages of onset and attainment of various stages of secondary sexual characters were assessed from cross-sectional data on 1530 city schoolboys in Istanbul, Turkey. The...
Ages of onset and attainment of various stages of secondary sexual characters were assessed from cross-sectional data on 1530 city schoolboys in Istanbul, Turkey. The subjects were grouped into four socio-economic classes. Ages of onset of pubic hair (11.80 years), axillary hair (13.15 years), facial hair (14.45 years) and laryngeal development (13.37 years) were relatively early in the highest socioeconomic class and agreed with recent values reported for European boys. In lower socioeconomic classes there was a relative delay of onset and attainment of the subsequent stages of secondary sexual characters. Acne was encountered in a significant proportion of the boys and increased in frequency with age. Socioeconomic level had no effect on its frequency. Gynaecomastia, unilateral in nearly half of the instances, was encountered in 7.0 per cent of the subjects. The frequency of gynaecomastia was lower in class 1 boys.
Topics: Adolescent; Asian People; Child; Humans; Male; Sex Characteristics; Sexual Maturation; Socioeconomic Factors; Turkey
PubMed: 16431679
DOI: 10.1080/03014467500000831 -
Current Topics in Developmental Biology 2013In animals, developmental timing of sexual maturation is tightly linked to nutrition and growth. Maturation only occurs once the juvenile has acquired sufficient... (Review)
Review
In animals, developmental timing of sexual maturation is tightly linked to nutrition and growth. Maturation only occurs once the juvenile has acquired sufficient nutrients and completed enough growth to produce a reproductively mature adult with a genetically predefined body size. Animals therefore adjust the duration of juvenile development to the dietary conditions. When nutrients are scarce the juvenile growth phase is extended to compensate for slow growth. Conversely, development is accelerated in nutrient rich environments where animals rapidly reach their genetic target size. To achieve such flexibility, nutrient-dependent growth regulators must feed into the endocrine system that controls the timing of maturation. Work on the fruit fly Drosophila has revealed a central role of secreted signal molecules with similarity to the conserved insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) in the decision making process. These molecules are involved in checkpoints that allow the endocrine system to decide whether to release the steroid hormone, ecdysone, that triggers maturation or extent development, depending on nutrient levels and growth status. Importantly, different dietary components influence timing of maturation in Drosophila, with proteins having the greatest impact; fat and sugar play a minor role, at least within the limits of what can be considered a balanced diet. Remarkably, excess dietary sugar concentrations that mimic physiological conditions associated with diabetes, negatively affect growth and delays maturation. Altogether, this shows that the source of energy in the diet is important for timing and may provide a paradigm for understanding the emerging links between diet, obesity and diabetes, and the onset of puberty. Here, we provide an overview of the system underlying developmental timing of maturation in Drosophila and review recent success in understanding its coupling to nutrition and growth.
Topics: Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Animals; Dietary Proteins; Dietary Sucrose; Energy Metabolism; Growth and Development; Insulin; Models, Biological; Sexual Maturation; Signal Transduction; Species Specificity; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases; Time Factors
PubMed: 23962838
DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-396968-2.00002-6 -
Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Jun 2017The onset of adolescence is a time of profound changes in motivation, cognition, behavior, and social relationships. Existing neurodevelopmental models have integrated... (Review)
Review
The onset of adolescence is a time of profound changes in motivation, cognition, behavior, and social relationships. Existing neurodevelopmental models have integrated our current understanding of adolescent brain development; however, there has been surprisingly little focus on the importance of adolescence as a sensitive period for romantic and sexual development. As young people enter adolescence, one of their primary tasks is to gain knowledge and experience that will allow them to take on the social roles of adults, including engaging in romantic and sexual relationships. By reviewing the relevant human and animal neurodevelopmental literature, this paper highlights how we should move beyond thinking of puberty as simply a set of somatic changes that are critical for physical reproductive maturation. Rather, puberty also involves a set of neurobiological changes that are critical for the social, emotional, and cognitive maturation necessary for reproductive success. The primary goal of this paper is to broaden the research base and dialogue about adolescent romantic and sexual development, in hopes of advancing understanding of sex and romance as important developmental dimensions of health and well-being in adolescence.
Topics: Adolescent; Adolescent Development; Animals; Brain; Female; Humans; Sexual Behavior; Sexual Maturation
PubMed: 27720399
DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2016.09.004 -
Frontiers in Endocrinology 2023
Topics: Sexual Maturation; Humans; Puberty
PubMed: 37560304
DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1258656