The free-living nematode, C. elegans, exists as an XX hermaphrodite or XO male. The hermaphrodite is self-fertile because her germ line first produces a limited number of sperm, then oocytes; otherwise she is considered the female of the species. Experimentally, the sex determination pathway of C. elegans has been amenable to genetic and molecular dissection. This paper will address how male and female somatic cell fate decisions are controlled in this nematode.
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