Question: What does the SRY gene do?

Answer: The SRY gene (sex-determining region on the Y chromosome) causes the undifferentiated gonad of a mammal to develop into a testis, which then produces testosterone and MIH to direct development toward the male pattern.

Question: How do sex hormones affect neurons?

Answer: Sex hormones, which are steroids, bind to receptors on the membrane, activate certain proteins in the cell’s cytoplasm, and activate or inactivate particular genes.

Question: What would be the external genital appearance of a mammal exposed to high levels of both androgens and estrogens during early development? What if it were exposed to low levels of both?

Answer: A mammal exposed to high levels of both male and female hormones will appear male. One exposed to low levels of both will appear female. External genital development depends mostly on the presence or absence of androgens and is nearly independent of estradiol levels.

Question: From the standpoint of protecting a male fetus’s sexual development, what are some drugs that a pregnant woman should avoid?

Answer:

Question: How would the external genitals appear on a genetic female rate that lacked alpha-fetoprotein?

Answer: A female that lacked alpha-fetoprotein would be masculinized by her own estradiol, as researchers have in fact demonstrated.