Sex-related differences in developmental rates of bovine embryos produced and cultured in vitro.

The classical concept of sex determination in mammals is that a Y chromosomal gene controls the development of the indifferent gonad into a testis. Subsequent divergence of sexual phenotypes is secondary to this gonadal determination. The most likely candidate gene is SRY (sex-determining region Y) in humans, and Sry in mouse. However, several lines of evidence indicate that sexual dimorphism occurs even before the indifferent gonad appears. Here we present evidence that bovine male embryos generally develop to more advanced stages than do females during the first 8 days after insemination in vitro. Corresponding relationships between both cell numbers and mitotic indices and sex were also seen. Although it is not clear whether this phenomenon involves factors originating before or after fertilization, these findings suggest that sex-related gene expression affects the development of embryos soon after activation of the embryonic genome and well before gonadal differentiation.