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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2015 Jun 9.
Published in final edited form as: Dev Cell. 2014 May 22;29(5):511–520. doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2014.04.017

Figure 7. Model for role of DMRT1 in sex maintenance.

Figure 7

DMRT1 directly represses transcription in Sertoli cells of potential feminizing genes including Foxl2, Esr2, and the Wnt/β-catenin pathway genes Wnt4 and Rspo1 (Matson et al., 2011). This paper shows that DMRT1 thereby allows Sertoli cells to produce RA that is necessary for spermatogenesis without causing RARα to activate these feminizing genes, which also activate one another. The model also indicates that it is possible, based on data from other systems, that RARα synergizes with products of some of the feminizing genes to drive transdifferentiation. In addition to the genes shown, DMRT1 also represses Cyp19a1/aromatase, which makes estradiol that stimulates ER activity (Matson et al., 2011).