ArticlePLoS biology2020
Sex and suicide: The curious case of Toll-like receptors.
Article in PLoS biology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed.
- Toll-like receptors 7 and 8 can be targeted to enrich Y-chromosome sperm in the domestic dog.Reproduction & fertility · 2026Article
- Evidence against the role of toll-like receptors 7 and 8 in sex selection in mice, cattle, and humans.iScience · 2025Article
- The conserved genetic program of male germ cells uncovers ancient regulators of human spermatogenesis.eLife · 2024Article
- The effect of toll-like receptor 7/8 ligand in inhibiting the motility of putative X-chromosome-bearing sperm in rams.Journal of advanced veterinary and animal research · 2024Article
- Gametic selection favours polyandry and selfing.PLoS genetics · 2024Article
- Bypassing Mendel's First Law: Transmission Ratio Distortion in Mammals.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Review
- TLR7/8 signalling affects X-sperm motility via the GSK3 α/β-hexokinase pathway for the efficient production of sexed dairy goat embryos.Journal of animal science and biotechnology · 2021Article
- GH Overexpression Alters Spermatic Cells MicroRNAome Profile in Transgenic Zebrafish.Frontiers in genetics · 2021Article
- Battle of the Sex Chromosomes: Competition between X and Y Chromosome-Encoded Proteins for Partner Interaction and Chromatin Occupancy Drives Multicopy Gene Expression and Evolution in Muroid Rodents.Molecular biology and evolution · 2020Article
- Within-ejaculate sperm competition.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2020Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
During in vitro fertilisation (IVF), pharmacological activation of the murine X chromosome-encoded receptor proteins Toll-like receptor (TLR) 7 and TLR8 reportedly results in male-biased litters by selectively disrupting the motility of X-bearing sperm cells. Thus-in the context of agonist treatment during IVF-these receptors act as 'suicidal' segregation distorters that impair their own transmission to the next generation. Such behaviour would, from an evolutionary perspective, be strongly selected against if present during natural fertilisation. Consequently, TLR7/8 biology in vivo must differ significantly from this in vitro situation to allow these genes to persist in the genome. Here, we use our current understanding of male germ cell biology and TLR function as a starting point to explore the mechanistic and evolutionary aspects of this apparent paradox.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.