Extensive Gene Conversion Drives the Concerted Evolution of Paralogous Copies of the SRY Gene in European Rabbits

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2010

Authors

Geraldes, A (Author) Other; Rambo, T (Author) Other; Wing, RA (Author) Other; ferrand, n (Author) FCUP; Nachman, MW (Author) Other

Journal

Title: Molecular Biology and Evolution

Vol. 27

Pages: 2437-2440

ISSN: 0737-4038

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 20 Citations

Scopus - 22 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-003-1KA

DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msq139

Abstract (EN): The human Y chromosome consists of ampliconic genes, which are located in palindromes and undergo frequent gene conversion, and single-copy genes including the primary sex-determining locus, SRY. Here, we demonstrate that SRY is duplicated in a large palindrome in the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). Furthermore, we show through comparative sequencing that orthologous palindrome arms have diverged 0.40% between rabbit subspecies over at least 2 My, but paralogous palindrome arms have remained nearly identical. This provides clear evidence of gene conversion on the rabbit Y chromosome. Together with previous observations in humans, these results suggest that gene conversion is a general feature of the evolution of the mammalian Y chromosome.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 4