The gene genie

[Natasha]

The gene genie

http://tgnotwhatyouthink.blogspot.com/2008/10/gene-genie.html
10/27/2008

Today, the journal Biological Psychiatry is publishing the results of an Australian study of 112 male-to-female transsexuals and 258 control subjects. The study suggests a link between a gene that codes for androgen receptivity and the feeling that one is really female despite male body and genitalia. The study found that that the androgen receptor (AR) gene was longer in MtF transsexuals than in the control group. It is already known that the longer allele is associated with less efficient testosterone signalling, which specifically might "under-masculinize" the brain during fetal development. In a case like this, androgens would give the body a masculine form, but the brain would be more feminine.