scholarly journals When Sex Chromosomes Recombine Only in the Heterogametic Sex: Heterochiasmy and Heterogamety in Hyla Tree Frogs

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 192-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christophe Dufresnes ◽  
Alan Brelsford ◽  
Felix Baier ◽  
Nicolas Perrin
Keyword(s):  
Sex Chromosomes ◽  
Deleterious Mutations ◽  
Typical Pattern ◽  
Male Recombination ◽  
Y Chromosomes ◽  
Tree Frogs ◽  
Heterogametic Sex ◽  
Low Rate ◽  
Sex Asymmetry

Abstract Sex chromosomes are classically predicted to stop recombining in the heterogametic sex, thereby enforcing linkage between sex-determining (SD) and sex-antagonistic (SA) genes. With the same rationale, a pre-existing sex asymmetry in recombination is expected to affect the evolution of heterogamety, for example, a low rate of male recombination might favor transitions to XY systems, by generating immediate linkage between SD and SA genes. Furthermore, the accumulation of deleterious mutations on nonrecombining Y chromosomes should favor XY-to-XY transitions (which discard the decayed Y), but disfavor XY-to-ZW transitions (which fix the decayed Y as an autosome). Like many anuran amphibians, Hyla tree frogs have been shown to display drastic heterochiasmy (males only recombine at chromosome tips) and are typically XY, which seems to fit the above expectations. Instead, here we demonstrate that two species, H. sarda and H. savignyi, share a common ZW system since at least 11 Ma. Surprisingly, the typical pattern of restricted male recombination has been maintained since then, despite female heterogamety. Hence, sex chromosomes recombine freely in ZW females, not in ZZ males. This suggests that heterochiasmy does not constrain heterogamety (and vice versa), and that the role of SA genes in the evolution of sex chromosomes might have been overemphasized.

scholarly journals Genetic sex determination and sex-specific lifespan in tetrapods – evidence of a toxic Y effect

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zahida Sultanova ◽  
Philip A. Downing ◽  
Pau Carazo
Keyword(s):  
Sex Chromosomes ◽  
Alternative Hypothesis ◽  
Z Chromosome ◽  
W Chromosome ◽  
Deleterious Mutations ◽  
Recessive Mutations ◽  
Y Chromosomes ◽  
Heterogametic Sex ◽  
Taxonomic Patterns

ABSTRACTSex-specific lifespans are ubiquitous across the tree of life and exhibit broad taxonomic patterns that remain a puzzle, such as males living longer than females in birds and vice versa in mammals. The prevailing “unguarded-X” hypothesis (UXh) explains this by differential expression of recessive mutations in the X/Z chromosome of the heterogametic sex (e.g., females in birds and males in mammals), but has only received indirect support to date. An alternative hypothesis is that the accumulation of deleterious mutations and repetitive elements on the Y/W chromosome might lower the survival of the heterogametic sex (“toxic Y” hypothesis). Here, we report lower survival of the heterogametic relative to the homogametic sex across 138 species of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, as expected if sex chromosomes shape sex-specific lifespans. We then analysed bird and mammal karyotypes and found that the relative sizes of the X and Z chromosomes are not associated with sex-specific lifespans, contrary to UXh predictions. In contrast, we found that Y size correlates negatively with male survival in mammals, where toxic Y effects are expected to be particularly strong. This suggests that small Y chromosomes benefit male lifespans. Our results confirm the role of sex chromosomes in explaining sex differences in lifespan, but indicate that, at least in mammals, this is better explained by “toxic Y” rather than UXh effects.

scholarly journals Sex-chromosome evolution in frogs: what role for sex-antagonistic genes?

2021 ◽  
Vol 376 (1832) ◽  
pp. 20200094 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Perrin
Keyword(s):  
Sex Chromosomes ◽  
Turnover Rate ◽  
Evolutionary Dynamics ◽  
Chromosome Evolution ◽  
Sex Chromosome ◽  
Deleterious Mutations ◽  
Sex Chromosome Evolution ◽  
High Turnover ◽  
Y Chromosomes

Sex-antagonistic (SA) genes are widely considered to be crucial players in the evolution of sex chromosomes, being instrumental in the arrest of recombination and degeneration of Y chromosomes, as well as important drivers of sex-chromosome turnovers. To test such claims, one needs to focus on systems at the early stages of differentiation, ideally with a high turnover rate. Here, I review recent work on two families of amphibians, Ranidae (true frogs) and Hylidae (tree frogs), to show that results gathered so far from these groups provide no support for a significant role of SA genes in the evolutionary dynamics of their sex chromosomes. The findings support instead a central role for neutral processes and deleterious mutations. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Challenging the paradigm in sex chromosome evolution: empirical and theoretical insights with a focus on vertebrates (Part I)’.

scholarly journals Differences in recombination frequencies during female and male meioses of the sex chromosomes of the medaka, Oryzias latipes

2001 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARIKO KONDO ◽  
ERIKO NAGAO ◽  
HIROSHI MITANI ◽  
AKIHIRO SHIMA
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Map ◽  
Sex Chromosomes ◽  
Sex Chromosome ◽  
Oryzias Latipes ◽  
Male Recombination ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Y Chromosomes ◽  
Genetic Length ◽  
Expressed Sequence ◽  
Group 1

In the medaka, Oryzias latipes, sex is determined chromosomally. The sex chromosomes differ from those of mammals in that the X and Y chromosomes are highly homologous. Using backcross panels for linkage analysis, we mapped 21 sequence tagged site (STS) markers on the sex chromosomes (linkage group 1). The genetic map of the sex chromosome was established using male and female meioses. The genetic length of the sex chromosome was shorter in male than in female meioses. The region where male recombination is suppressed is the region close to the sex-determining gene y, while female recombination was suppressed in both the telomeric regions. The restriction in recombination does not occur uniformly on the sex chromosome, as the genetic map distances of the markers are not proportional in male and female recombination. Thus, this observation seems to support the hypothesis that the heterogeneous sex chromosomes were derived from suppression of recombination between autosomal chromosomes. In two of the markers, Yc-2 and Casp6, which were expressed sequence-tagged (EST) sites, polymorphisms of both X and Y chromosomes were detected. The alleles of the X and Y chromosomes were also detected in O. curvinotus, a species related to the medaka. These markers could be used for genotyping the sex chromosomes in the medaka and other species, and could be used in other studies on sex chromosomes.

scholarly journals Toxic Y chromosome: Increased repeat expression and age-associated heterochromatin loss in male Drosophila with a young Y chromosome

PLoS Genetics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. e1009438
Author(s):  
Alison H. Nguyen ◽  
Doris Bachtrog
Keyword(s):  
Y Chromosome ◽  
Sex Chromosomes ◽  
Young Male ◽  
Heterochromatin Formation ◽  
Young Males ◽  
Repeat Content ◽  
Y Chromosomes ◽  
Active Transcription ◽  
Heterogametic Sex ◽  
Effects Of Aging

Sex-specific differences in lifespan are prevalent across the tree of life and influenced by heteromorphic sex chromosomes. In species with XY sex chromosomes, females often outlive males. Males and females can differ in their overall repeat content due to the repetitive Y chromosome, and repeats on the Y might lower survival of the heterogametic sex (toxic Y effect). Here, we take advantage of the well-assembled young Y chromosome of Drosophila miranda to study the sex-specific dynamics of chromatin structure and repeat expression during aging in male and female flies. Male D. miranda have about twice as much repetitive DNA compared to females, and live shorter than females. Heterochromatin is crucial for silencing of repetitive elements, yet old D. miranda flies lose H3K9me3 modifications in their pericentromere, with heterochromatin loss being more severe during aging in males than females. Satellite DNA becomes de-repressed more rapidly in old vs. young male flies relative to females. In contrast to what is observed in D. melanogaster, we find that transposable elements (TEs) are expressed at higher levels in male D. miranda throughout their life. We show that epigenetic silencing via heterochromatin formation is ineffective on the TE-rich neo-Y chromosome, presumably due to active transcription of a large number of neo-Y linked genes, resulting in up-regulation of Y-linked TEs already in young males. This is consistent with an interaction between the evolutionary age of the Y chromosome and the genomic effects of aging. Our data support growing evidence that “toxic Y chromosomes” can diminish male fitness and a reduction in heterochromatin can contribute to sex-specific aging.

The role of sex chromosomes in black fly evolution

Genome ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 538-542 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. M. Feraday ◽  
K. G. Leonhardt ◽  
C. L. Brockhouse
Keyword(s):  
Sex Chromosomes ◽  
Sex Chromosome ◽  
Chromosome Rearrangements ◽  
Black Flies ◽  
Black Fly ◽  
Adaptive Process ◽  
Y Chromosomes

Sex chromosomes have been repeatedly implicated in the process of speciation of black flies and other nemotocerans. Arguments are presented here against the case that frequent differences between species in their sex chromosomes are based on (i) different average rates of differentiation of sex-linked and autosomal loci or (ii) the fact that the X and Y chromosomes are less numerous than autosomal chromosomes and so are more subject to the effects of drift and the random fixation of chromosome rearrangements. The argument is made that speciation in black flies and many other groups is an adaptive process and that differentiated sex-chromosome systems play a role in this process.Key words: black flies, sex chromosomes, speciation, evolution.

scholarly journals Sex chromosomes, sex ratios and sex gaps in longevity in plants

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel AB Marais ◽  
Jean-Francois Lemaitre
Keyword(s):  
Sex Chromosomes ◽  
Statistical Power ◽  
Sex Chromosome ◽  
Sex Ratios ◽  
Y Chromosomes ◽  
Adult Sex Ratio ◽  
Female Longevity ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
The Relationship

In animals, males and females can display markedly different longevity (also called sex gap in longevity, SGLs). Recent work has revealed that sex chromosomes contribute to establishing these SGLs. X-hemizygosity and toxicity of the Y chromosomes are two mechanisms that have been suggested to reduce male longevity (Z-hemizygosity and W toxicity in females in ZW systems). In plants, SGLs are known to exist but the role of sex chromosomes remains to be established. Here, by using adult sex ratio as a proxy for measuring SGLs, we explored the relationship between sex chromosome and SGLs across 43 plant species. Based on the knowledge recently accumulated in animals, we specifically asked whether: (i) species with XY systems tend to have female-biased sex ratios (reduced male longevity) and species with ZW ones tend to have male-biased sex ratios (reduced female longevity), and (ii) this patterns was stronger in heteromorphic systems compared to homomorphic ones. Our results tend to support these predictions although we lack statistical power because of a small number of ZW systems and the absence of any heteromorphic ZW system in the dataset. We discuss the implications of these findings, which we hope will stimulate further research on sex-differences in lifespan and ageing across plants.

scholarly journals Recombination landscape dimorphism contributes to sex chromosome evolution in the dioecious plant Rumex hastatulus

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna L Rifkin ◽  
Solomiya Hnatovzka ◽  
Meng Yuan ◽  
Bianca M Sacchi ◽  
Baharul I Choudhury ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Sex Chromosomes ◽  
Chromosome Evolution ◽  
Sex Chromosome ◽  
Pollen Competition ◽  
Sex Chromosome Evolution ◽  
Dioecious Plant ◽  
Male Recombination ◽  
Rumex Hastatulus ◽  
Heterogametic Sex

There is growing evidence across diverse taxa for sex differences in the genomic landscape of recombination, but the causes and consequences of these differences remain poorly understood. Strong recombination landscape dimorphism between the sexes could have important implications for the dynamics of sex chromosome evolution and turnover because low recombination in the heterogametic sex can help favour the spread of sexually antagonistic alleles. Here, we present a sex-specific linkage map and revised genome assembly of Rumex hastatulus, representing the first characterization of sex differences in recombination landscape in a dioecious plant. We provide evidence for strong sex differences in recombination, with pericentromeric regions of highly suppressed recombination in males that cover over half of the genome. These differences are found on autosomes as well as sex chromosomes, suggesting that pre-existing differences in recombination may have contributed to sex chromosome formation and divergence. Analysis of segregation distortion suggests that haploid selection due to pollen competition occurs disproportionately in regions with low male recombination. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that sex differences in the recombination landscape contributed to the formation of a large heteromorphic pair of sex chromosomes, and that pollen competition is an important determinant of recombination dimorphism.

GENETIC ORIGIN OF SOME SEX DIFFERENCES AMONG HUMAN BEINGS

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1965 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 798-812
Author(s):  
Barton Childs
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Sex Chromosomes ◽  
New Combinations ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Genetic Origin ◽  
Control Functions ◽  
Y Chromosomes ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Heterogametic Sex

Sexual reproduction helps to ensure the survival of species by providing opportunities for new combinations of chromosomes in individuals. Organisms have evolved means to accomplish this end by establishing special sex-determining chromosomes which must contain the genes which decide the reproductive attributes of the individual. This decision sets in motion a train of events determining many characteristics related to and stemming from the reproductive sex of the individual which, taken in the aggregate, formulate much of his or her role in life as a male or female. Differences between the sexes are thus created which sometimes appear to be unrelated to reproductive functions, but which are traceable ultimately to them, and some of these differences might represent a hazard to one or other sex, due either to biological or cultural inequalities. Though there are occasional errors and imperfections of sex determination, the mechanism is on the whole a good one and even unsophisticated people are seldom unsure or imprecise in the diagnosis of sex among human beings. But establishment of the sex chromosomes in the forms they have taken in various organisms has resulted in certain consequences which, though they might be beneficial in some instances, certainly contribute to inequalities between the two sexes in ways not necessarily related to the reproductive aspects of sex. The disparity in size between the X and Y chromosomes, for example, means that the homogametic sex (female) is diploid with regard to many loci, while the heterogametic sex (males) must be always haploid. If these chromosomes contain genes which control functions apart from aspects of reproductive sex, even though these be compensated, the genes will be making contributions to aspects of maleness and femaleness which are not accommodated in the usual, practical definition of sex.

scholarly journals Toxic Y chromosome: increased repeat expression and age-associated heterochromatin loss in male Drosophila with a young Y chromosome

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison H. Nguyen ◽  
Doris Bachtrog
Keyword(s):  
Y Chromosome ◽  
Sex Chromosomes ◽  
Young Male ◽  
Heterochromatin Formation ◽  
Young Males ◽  
Repeat Content ◽  
Y Chromosomes ◽  
Heteromorphic Sex Chromosomes ◽  
Heterogametic Sex ◽  
Effects Of Aging

Sex‐specific differences in lifespan are prevalent across the tree of life and influenced by heteromorphic sex chromosomes. In species with XY sex chromosomes, females often outlive males. Males and females can differ in their overall repeat content due to the repetitive Y chromosome, and repeats on the Y might lower survival of the heterogametic sex (toxic Y effect). Here, we take advantage of the well‐assembled young Y chromosome of Drosophila miranda to study the sex‐specific dynamics of chromatin structure and repeat expression during aging in male and female flies. Male D. miranda have about twice as much repetitive DNA compared to females, and live shorter than females. Heterochromatin is crucial for silencing of repetitive elements, yet old D. miranda flies lose H3K9me3 modifications in their pericentromere, with heterochromatin loss being more severe during aging in males than females. Satellite DNA becomes de‐repressed more rapidly in old vs. young male flies relative to females. In contrast to what is observed in D. melanogaster, we find that transposable elements (TEs) are expressed at higher levels in male D. miranda throughout their life. We show that epigenetic silencing via heterochromatin formation is ineffective on the large TE‐ rich neo‐Y chromosome, resulting in up‐regulation of Y‐linked TEs already in young males. This is consistent with an interaction between the age of the Y chromosome and the genomic effects of aging. Our data support growing evidence that “toxic Y chromosomes” can diminish male fitness and a reduction in heterochromatin can contribute to sex‐specific aging.

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