Art Arnold

We study the biological factors that make males and females different. Sex differences are found throughout the body, in numerous tissues, and in the susceptibility to disease. In mammals and birds, gonadal hormones cause many sex differences. However, XX and XY cells also differ because of their different dose of X and Y genes. Using unusual mouse models in which the number and type of sex chromosomes are varied, we and our collaborators have identified numerous traits that differ in males and females because of the actions of X and Y genes not mediated by gonadal hormones. These include neural tube closure defects, behavior of brain cells in vitro, and sex differences in mouse models of pain, obesity, multiple sclerosis, hypertension, and drug addiction. We aim to identify the X and Y genes that cause sexual differentiation of somatic cells, and to understand their mechanisms of action.


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