Meeting Abstract

7-3  Saturday, Jan. 4 08:30 – 08:45  Temperature-dependent sex determination is mediated by pSTAT3 repression of Kdm6b WEBER, CJ*; ZHOU, Y; LEE, JG; LOOGER, L; QIAN, G; GE, C; CAPEL, B; Duke University, Durham, NC, USA; Zhejiang Wanli University, Ningbo, China; Duke University, Durham, NC, USA; HHMI Janelia Research Campus, Ashburn, VA, USA; Zhejiang Wanli University, Ningbo, China; Zhejiang Wanli University, Ningbo, China; Duke University, Durham, NC, USA ceri.weber@duke.edu

In many reptiles, including the red-eared slider turtle Trachemys scripta elegans (T. scripta), sex is determined by ambient temperature during embryogenesis. We previously showed that the epigenetic regulator, Kdm6b, is elevated at the male-producing temperature and essential to activate the male pathway. Here, we demonstrate that the transcription factor STAT3 is phosphorylated at the warmer, female-producing temperature, binds the Kdm6b locus, and acts as a repressor of Kdm6b transcription. STAT3 is known to be activated by signaling pathways that respond to environmental stimuli, including temperature. We propose that activation of these pathways at warmer temperatures promotes phosphorylation of STAT3, blocking expression of Kdm6b, thus preventing activation of the testis-pathway. Collectively, these data establish a link between temperature and transcriptional regulation of Kdm6b during temperature-dependent sex determination.