The Molecular Basis and Evolution of Sexual Dimorphism – Virtual

Overview

EMBL is committed to sharing research advances and sustaining scientific interaction throughout the coronavirus pandemic. We are delighted to announce that the conference is going virtual and invite you to join us online. The virtual conference includes talks from invited speakers, short talk presenters, digital poster sessions, online group discussions and networking opportunities.

Symposium Overview

Females and males display striking patterns of sexual dimorphism in many animals and other organisms. Differences are documented in morphology, physiology and behaviour. In recent years, advances in genomics technologies have facilitated the discovery of genetic mechanisms underlying sex-specific phenotypes, showing that sex-biased expression of hundreds to thousands of genes across the genome contributes to male and female phenotypic differences. The sex-specific evolutionary forces shaping sexual dimorphisms have also begun to be unravelled, including the interactions between ‘master’ sex determining genes on the sex chromosomes, and other genes during development to control sex-biases of other genes.

This symposium will focus on the molecular basis and evolution of sexual dimorphism across animals and other organisms, including the origins, evolution and biology of sex chromosomes. It will cover topics ranging from the evolution of sex determining systems, sex linkage and sex chromosomes, sex-biased gene expression (on autosomes and sex chromosomes) and X chromosome dosage compensation mechanisms, to the evolution of associated dimorphic phenotypes and the underlying selective pressures.

Session Topics

• The diversity of genetic sex determining regions and sex chromosomes
• Evolutionary challenges for sex-linked genome regions: Genetic degeneration and dosage compensation
• Adaptive evolution I: Sexual antagonism
• Adaptive evolution II: Evolution of sexually dimorphic phenotypes and gene expression
• Sexual dimorphism in human disease

Speakers and Organisers

Keynote Speakers

Doris Bachtrog

University of California,

Berkeley, USA

Andrew Clark

Cornell University,

USA

Judith Mank

The University of British Columbia,

Canada

Speakers

Michelle Arbeitman

Florida State University,

USA

Arthur Arnold

University of California,

Los Angeles, USA

Martin Beye

Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf,

Germany

Margarida Cardoso-Moreira

Heidelberg University,

Germany

Deborah Charlesworth

University of Edinburgh,

UK

Susana Coelho

Sorbonne University,

France

Tim Connallon

Monash University,

Australia

William Gammerdinger

Institute of Science and Technology Austria,

Austria

Henrik Kaessmann

Heidelberg University,

Germany

Mark Kirkpatrick

University of Texas,

USA

Jun Kitano

National Institute of Genetics,

Japan

Elise Lucotte

INSERM,

France

Max Reuter

University College London,

UK

James Turner

The Francis Crick Institute,

UK

Beatriz Vicoso

Institute of Science and Technology Austria,

Austria

Patricia Wittkopp

University of Michigan,

USA

Stephen Wright

University of Toronto,

Canada

David Zarkower

University of Minnesota

USA

Scientific Organisers

Doris Bachtrog

University of California,

Berkeley,USA

Deborah Charlesworth

University of Edinburgh, UK

Henrik Kaessmann

Heidelberg University,

Germany

Conference Organisers

Kathleen Regan

EMBL Heidelberg

Germany

Elisabeth Wintersteller

EMBL Heidelberg

Germany

Programme