Genes fight it out for resources in battle of the sexes in womb, study finds

‘There’s a tug of war taking place at the level of the genome’

Lead author of the study says ‘a battle of the sexes at the level of the genome’ takes place in the womb. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Genes inherited from the mother and father in the womb fight it out for resources in a “battle of the sexes”, according to new research.

In a study by Cambridge University, scientists found that as a foetus grows in size and indicates its need for nutrients from its mother, this signal encourages the growth of blood cells in the placenta which involves a “tug of war” between genes inherited from the parents.

The study – involving genetically engineered embryonic mice – found the signal, known as IGF2, causes the paternal and maternal genes to counterbalance the additional demands for food and nutrients.