In Sex Reversal, Protein Deterred by Nuclear Barrier

Each year, a few babies are born with a male set of chromosomes and female sexual organs. This sex reversal, called Swyer syndrome, can happen when changes in a protein called SRY impair its function. Previously reported SRY mutations interfere with the protein's ability to bind to DNA, but recent data, including some presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology, show that in some cases, the altered protein has trouble entering the nucleus of fetal male gonadal cells.