Major new finding: Will the discovery of a possible gene linked to transssexualism help break down some of the stigma attached to transsexuals? Image shows the official transgender symbol.
Credit: MIT OpenCourseWare
SYDNEY: The first genetic link to male-to-female transsexualism provides new evidence of its biological nature, say Australian researchers.
"There is a social stigma that transsexualism is simply a lifestyle choice, however our findings support a biological basis of how gender identity develops," said Vincent Harley a geneticist from Prince Henry's Institute in Melbourne and co-author of a new study detailing the find.
Gender identity
Gender identity, an inner feeling of being male or female, is usually identified at an early age. Transsexuals, however, identify with the sex that is opposite to their biological sex.
Early theories as to the cause of transsexuality suggested that it could stem from childhood trauma, but more recent research has pointed to family history and a possible genetic aspect. A study released earlier this year by researchers at the University of Vienna, Austria, hinted at a gene that may be involved in female-to-male transsexualism.
The new study, published today in the journal Biological Psychiatry, builds on previous research that highlighted some similarities in the brain structures of women and male-to-female transsexuals.
For the study, Harley and his team took DNA from 112 male-to-female transsexuals and 258 non-transsexual men. They looked at the sequence of three genes known to be involved in the action of sex hormones, and found that some male-to-female transsexuals carry a different form of a gene, called an androgen receptor, which modifies the body’s response to testosterone.
Androgen receptor
The researchers found that, on average, the form of the gene found in the transsexual group had a larger number of repeats of a short, repetitive sequence of DNA - making the gene significantly longer than the form found in the control group of non-transsexual men.
Though the researchers admit that the average difference in the length of the gene between the two groups was small, they said that the size of the study population was limited by the rarity of transsexualism. Nevertheless, "we think that these genetic differences might reduce testosterone action and under-masculinise the brain during foetal development," said co-author Lauren Hare, a geneticist from Monash University in Melbourne.
Gene linked to transsexualism
this is a very good indepth research.
awkward lifestyle choice?
well its awkward Ok..but I don't know I chose it...I think it chose me.
Perhaps if we stopped looking for genes responsible for transsexualism and started looking for the gene in heterosexuals and lesbians that is responsible for triggering the instinctive hatred most of these feel on spotting atranssexual it will be better all round...then all these bigots can be told they have a genetic problem?
*^&*!
Would someone PLEASE find out what is the problem? Genetics or what? I would not wish my condition on my worst enemy, and I am tired of fighting with the insurance to pay for my own corrective surgery. And so far they won't, 'cause they think (wrongfully) Sex assignment surgery is cosmetic, or costs too much, with the number they think would exist. They forget that they can set reasonable rules to prevent abuses, by asking us for ideas. Some days I want to die because of them.
By the by, Why does the description for the intersex require one to be physically between genders, why can't it also include the misworking endocrine sufferer? A condition in which the glandular secretions are, and stay,out of balance no matter what a physician does? I've heard research is being done in this arena, as well.
what was the sequence?
was it
CAG AGC GGC
or was it like
AAG CCG GGC
what was it? and how much was the repitition? was it 50times? 100? 150? 250? 350? what what what?
transsexualism
I'm a 38 yr old pre op ts, whilst i have struggled with my gender ever since i can remember (about 7 yrs old) i was always convinced that my parents had changed my sex when i was a baby,being pre pubescent at that time and remembering those thoughts i now look back and i am perplexed as to where these thoughts came from, at seven yrs old it would be strange to them to be categorised as sexual fantasy, as my feelings developed and started to go through puberty i began to put my feelings down to the changes and tried to put them to one side ,this never happened, and i learnt to hide, ignore and despise my thoughts, even to the extent that if anything bad or unwanted happened in my life i began to equate that negativity as a punishment from god for feeling the way i do,this continued for many years causing great damage to my mental health,still i tried to conceal my thoughts for many years up until about 3 years ago when i finally talked to my long time girlfriend about it,she was absolutely devastated and she phoned my mother to tell her that she wanted no more to do with her son,at this point you may think that this story sound like any other relating to a trans gender person,a few days after she called my mother ,my father called ,i'm in for a right old lecture now i thought, yet to my astonishment ,my parents told me that they had known about my condition for a long time ,but more importantly that my father was also transgender.....
that was when all the parts of the picture started to make sense and i finally accepted who i am ,sure it could be coincidence , but i very much doubt it.
jenny