ThesisAuthors: Zhang, Wei (2006)
Doublesex (dsx) and dsx-related genes encode a novel class of transcription factors conserved among metazoans. The members of this family play a critical role in sex differentiation across species from Caenorhabditis elegans to humans. Mutations or deletions of these genes are associated with intersexual abnormalities, including a class of human birth defects termed "9p syndrome". This thesis is focused on the dsx gene from Drosophila melanogaster, the archetype of this class. Sex-specific RNA splicing leads to male and female isoforms, designated DSXM and DSXF. Biochemical and genetic studies of the DM domain and the female-specific C-terminal domain are presented. The importance of individual residues in the DM domain to folding and DNA recognition is probed using a yeast one-hybr... 
