TY - JOUR AU - Swift-Gallant, Ashlyn AU - Mo, Kaiguo AU - Peragine, Deane E. AU - Monks, D. Ashley AU - Holmes, Melissa M. PY - 2015 DA - 2015/12/10 TI - Removal of reproductive suppression reveals latent sex differences in brain steroid hormone receptors in naked mole-rats, Heterocephalus glaber JO - Biology of Sex Differences SP - 31 VL - 6 IS - 1 AB - Naked mole-rats are eusocial mammals, living in large colonies with a single breeding female and 1–3 breeding males. Breeders are socially dominant, and only the breeders exhibit traditional sex differences in circulating gonadal steroid hormones and reproductive behaviors. Non-reproductive subordinates also fail to show sex differences in overall body size, external genital morphology, and non-reproductive behaviors. However, subordinates can transition to breeding status if removed from their colony and housed with an opposite-sex conspecific, suggesting the presence of latent sex differences. Here, we assessed the expression of steroid hormone receptor and aromatase messenger RNA (mRNA) in the brains of males and females as they transitioned in social and reproductive status. SN - 2042-6410 UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s13293-015-0050-x DO - 10.1186/s13293-015-0050-x ID - Swift-Gallant2015 ER -