scholarly journals Epigenetics drive the evolution of sex chromosomes in animals and plants

2021 ◽  
Vol 376 (1826) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aline Muyle ◽  
Doris Bachtrog ◽  
Gabriel A. B. Marais ◽  
James M. A. Turner
Keyword(s):  
Transposable Elements ◽  
Y Chromosome ◽  
Sex Chromosomes ◽  
Sex Chromosome ◽  
Binding Motif ◽  
X Chromosomes ◽  
Meiotic Sex Chromosome Inactivation ◽  
Compensation Mechanisms ◽  
Male Specific Lethal ◽  
Male Specific

We review how epigenetics affect sex chromosome evolution in animals and plants. In a few species, sex is determined epigenetically through the action of Y-encoded small RNAs. Epigenetics is also responsible for changing the sex of individuals through time, even in species that carry sex chromosomes, and could favour species adaptation through breeding system plasticity. The Y chromosome accumulates repeats that become epigenetically silenced which leads to an epigenetic conflict with the expression of Y genes and could accelerate Y degeneration. Y heterochromatin can be lost through ageing, which activates transposable elements and lowers male longevity. Y chromosome degeneration has led to the evolution of meiotic sex chromosome inactivation in eutherians (placentals) and marsupials, and dosage compensation mechanisms in animals and plants. X-inactivation convergently evolved in eutherians and marsupials via two independently evolved non-coding RNAs. In Drosophila , male X upregulation by the male specific lethal (MSL) complex can spread to neo-X chromosomes through the transposition of transposable elements that carry an MSL-binding motif. We discuss similarities and possible differences between plants and animals and suggest future directions for this dynamic field of research. This article is part of the theme issue ‘How does epigenetics influence the course of evolution?’

The polytene chromosomes of Simulium furculatum (Shewell) (Diptera: Simuliidae)

Genome ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 522-530
Author(s):  
Fiona F. Hunter
Keyword(s):  
Y Chromosome ◽  
Sex Chromosomes ◽  
Sex Chromosome ◽  
Polytene Chromosomes ◽  
Species Group ◽  
Western Canada ◽  
Black Flies ◽  
X Chromosomes ◽  
Group A ◽  
Sex Chromosome System

To test whether Simulium furculatum (Shewell) belongs to the Simulium vernum (Macquart) species-group, a comparison was made of the polytene chromosomes of S. furculatum and the S. vernum "Knebworth" standard. Only two chromosome arms (of six) could be completely analysed. It is argued that S. furculatum does not belong to the S. vernum species-group. A complex sex-chromosome system (X1, X2, Y1) is found in both eastern and western Canada. Phylogenetically, the single Y chromosome is intermediate between the two X chromosomes. Intraspecific inversion polymorphisms, which serve to differentiate eastern from western populations, are also identified. Only one sibling is indicated.Key words: black flies, Simulium furculatum, Simulium vernum, cytotaxonomy, polytene chromosomes, sex chromosomes.

scholarly journals Divergence and Remarkable Diversity of the Y Chromosome in Guppies

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Almeida ◽  
Benjamin A Sandkam ◽  
Jake Morris ◽  
Iulia Darolti ◽  
Felix Breden ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Y Chromosome ◽  
Sex Chromosomes ◽  
Sex Chromosome ◽  
Haplotype Diversity ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Color Variation ◽  
Recombination Suppression ◽  
Specific Sequence ◽  
Y Chromosome Evolution ◽  
Male Specific

Abstract The guppy sex chromosomes show an extraordinary diversity in divergence across populations and closely related species. In order to understand the dynamics of the guppy Y chromosome, we used linked-read sequencing to assess Y chromosome evolution and diversity across upstream and downstream population pairs that vary in predator and food abundance in three replicate watersheds. Based on our population-specific genome assemblies, we first confirmed and extended earlier reports of two strata on the guppy sex chromosomes. Stratum I shows significant accumulation of male-specific sequence, consistent with Y divergence, and predates the colonization of Trinidad. In contrast, Stratum II shows divergence from the X, but no Y-specific sequence, and this divergence is greater in three replicate upstream populations compared with their downstream pair. Despite longstanding assumptions that sex chromosome recombination suppression is achieved through inversions, we find no evidence of inversions associated with either Stratum I or Stratum II. Instead, we observe a remarkable diversity in Y chromosome haplotypes within each population, even in the ancestral Stratum I. This diversity is likely due to gradual mechanisms of recombination suppression, which, unlike an inversion, allow for the maintenance of multiple haplotypes. In addition, we show that this Y diversity is dominated by low-frequency haplotypes segregating in the population, suggesting a link between haplotype diversity and female preference for rare Y-linked color variation. Our results reveal the complex interplay between recombination suppression and Y chromosome divergence at the earliest stages of sex chromosome divergence.

scholarly journals Divergence and Remarkable Diversity of the Y Chromosome in Guppies

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Almeida ◽  
Benjamin A. Sandkam ◽  
Jake Morris ◽  
Iulia Darolti ◽  
Felix Breden ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Y Chromosome ◽  
Sex Chromosomes ◽  
Sex Chromosome ◽  
Haplotype Diversity ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Recombination Suppression ◽  
Specific Sequence ◽  
Y Chromosome Evolution ◽  
Male Specific ◽  
Genome Assemblies

AbstractThe guppy sex chromosomes show an extraordinary diversity in divergence across populations and closely related species. In order to understand the dynamics of the guppy Y chromosome, we used linked-read sequencing to assess Y chromosome evolution and diversity across upstream and downstream population pairs that vary in predator and food abundance in three replicate watersheds. Based on our population-specific genome assemblies, we first confirmed and extended earlier reports of two strata on the guppy sex chromosomes. Stratum I shows significant accumulation of male-specific sequence, consistent with Y divergence, and predates the colonization of Trinidad. In contrast, Stratum II shows divergence from the X, but no Y-specific sequence, and this divergence is greater in three replicate upstream populations compared to their downstream pair. Despite longstanding assumptions that sex chromosome recombination suppression is achieved through inversions, we find no evidence of inversions associated with either Stratum I or Stratum II. Instead, we observe a remarkable diversity in Y chromosome haplotypes within each population, even in the ancestral Stratum I. This diversity is likely due to gradual mechanisms of recombination suppression, which, unlike an inversion, allow for the maintenance of multiple haplotypes. In addition, we show that this Y diversity is dominated by low-frequency haplotypes segregating in the population, suggesting a link between haplotype diversity and female-preference for rare Y-linked colour variation. Our results reveal the complex interplay between recombination suppression and Y chromosome divergence at the earliest stages of sex chromosome divergence.

scholarly journals Reconstruction of the birth of a male sex chromosome present in Atlantic herring

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (39) ◽  
pp. 24359-24368
Author(s):  
Nima Rafati ◽  
Junfeng Chen ◽  
Amaury Herpin ◽  
Mats E. Pettersson ◽  
Fan Han ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Determination ◽  
Y Chromosome ◽  
Sex Chromosomes ◽  
Sex Chromosome ◽  
Small Region ◽  
Atlantic Herring ◽  
Genes Encoding ◽  
Molecular Machinery ◽  
Suppressed Recombination ◽  
Male Specific

The mechanisms underlying sex determination are astonishingly plastic. Particularly the triggers for the molecular machinery, which recalls either the male or female developmental program, are highly variable and have evolved independently and repeatedly. Fish show a huge variety of sex determination systems, including both genetic and environmental triggers. The advent of sex chromosomes is assumed to stabilize genetic sex determination. However, because sex chromosomes are notoriously cluttered with repetitive DNA and pseudogenes, the study of their evolution is hampered. Here we reconstruct the birth of a Y chromosome present in the Atlantic herring. The region is tiny (230 kb) and contains only three intact genes. The candidate male-determining gene BMPR1BBY encodes a truncated form of a BMP1B receptor, which originated by gene duplication and translocation and underwent rapid protein evolution. BMPR1BBY phosphorylates SMADs in the absence of ligand and thus has the potential to induce testis formation. The Y region also contains two genes encoding subunits of the sperm-specific Ca2+ channel CatSper required for male fertility. The herring Y chromosome conforms with a characteristic feature of many sex chromosomes, namely, suppressed recombination between a sex-determining factor and genes that are beneficial for the given sex. However, the herring Y differs from other sex chromosomes in that suppression of recombination is restricted to an ∼500-kb region harboring the male-specific and sex-associated regions. As a consequence, any degeneration on the herring Y chromosome is restricted to those genes located in the small region affected by suppressed recombination.

scholarly journals Bisection of the X chromosome disrupts the initiation of chromosome silencing during meiosis in Caenorhabditis elegans

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yisrael Rappaport ◽  
Hanna Achache ◽  
Roni Falk ◽  
Omer Murik ◽  
Oren Ram ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Rna Polymerase Ii ◽  
X Chromosome ◽  
Sex Chromosomes ◽  
Sex Chromosome ◽  
Transcription Analysis ◽  
X Chromosomes ◽  
Unique Character ◽  
Active Transcription ◽  
Heterogametic Sex

AbstractDuring meiosis, gene expression is silenced in aberrantly unsynapsed chromatin and in heterogametic sex chromosomes. Initiation of sex chromosome silencing is disrupted in meiocytes with sex chromosome-autosome translocations. To determine whether this is due to aberrant synapsis or loss of continuity of sex chromosomes, we engineered Caenorhabditis elegans nematodes with non-translocated, bisected X chromosomes. In early meiocytes of mutant males and hermaphrodites, X segments are enriched with euchromatin assembly markers and active RNA polymerase II staining, indicating active transcription. Analysis of RNA-seq data showed that genes from the X chromosome are upregulated in gonads of mutant worms. Contrary to previous models, which predicted that any unsynapsed chromatin is silenced during meiosis, our data indicate that unsynapsed X segments are transcribed. Therefore, our results suggest that sex chromosome chromatin has a unique character that facilitates its meiotic expression when its continuity is lost, regardless of whether or not it is synapsed.

scholarly journals Evolution of a Multiple Sex-Chromosome System by Three-Sequential Translocations among Potential Sex-Chromosomes in the Taiwanese Frog Odorrana swinhoana

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 661
Author(s):  
Ikuo Miura ◽  
Foyez Shams ◽  
Si-Min Lin ◽  
Marcelo de Bello Cioffi ◽  
Thomas Liehr ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Chromosomes ◽  
Rare Case ◽  
Sex Chromosome ◽  
Sex Chromosome System ◽  
Brown Frog ◽  
Male Specific

Translocation between sex-chromosomes and autosomes generates multiple sex-chromosome systems. It happens unexpectedly, and therefore, the evolutionary meaning is not clear. The current study shows a multiple sex chromosome system comprising three different chromosome pairs in a Taiwanese brown frog (Odorrana swinhoana). The male-specific three translocations created a system of six sex-chromosomes, ♂X1Y1X2Y2X3Y3 -♀X1X1X2X2X3X3. It is unique in that the translocations occurred among three out of the six members of potential sex-determining chromosomes, which are known to be involved in sex-chromosome turnover in frogs, and the two out of three include orthologs of the sex-determining genes in mammals, birds and fishes. This rare case suggests sex-specific, nonrandom translocations and thus provides a new viewpoint for the evolutionary meaning of the multiple sex chromosome system.

scholarly journals Absence of X-chromosome dosage compensation in the primordial germ cells of Drosophila embryos

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryoma Ota ◽  
Makoto Hayashi ◽  
Shumpei Morita ◽  
Hiroki Miura ◽  
Satoru Kobayashi
Keyword(s):  
X Chromosome ◽  
Germ Cells ◽  
Dosage Compensation ◽  
Sex Chromosome ◽  
Primordial Germ Cells ◽  
Histone H4 ◽  
X Chromosomes ◽  
Essential Components ◽  
Msl Complex ◽  
Male Specific

AbstractDosage compensation is a mechanism that equalizes sex chromosome gene expression between the sexes. In Drosophila, individuals with two X chromosomes (XX) become female, whereas males have one X chromosome (XY). In males, dosage compensation of the X chromosome in the soma is achieved by five proteins and two non-coding RNAs, which assemble into the male-specific lethal (MSL) complex to upregulate X-linked genes twofold. By contrast, it remains unclear whether dosage compensation occurs in the germline. To address this issue, we performed transcriptome analysis of male and female primordial germ cells (PGCs). We found that the expression levels of X-linked genes were approximately twofold higher in female PGCs than in male PGCs. Acetylation of lysine residue 16 on histone H4 (H4K16ac), which is catalyzed by the MSL complex, was undetectable in these cells. In male PGCs, hyperactivation of X-linked genes and H4K16ac were induced by overexpression of the essential components of the MSL complex, which were expressed at very low levels in PGCs. Together, these findings indicate that failure of MSL complex formation results in the absence of X-chromosome dosage compensation in male PGCs.

scholarly journals X and Y Chromosome Complement Influence Adiposity and Metabolism in Mice

Endocrinology ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 154 (3) ◽  
pp. 1092-1104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuqi Chen ◽  
Rebecca McClusky ◽  
Yuichiro Itoh ◽  
Karen Reue ◽  
Arthur P. Arnold
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Y Chromosome ◽  
Sex Chromosomes ◽  
Sex Chromosome ◽  
Chromosome Complement ◽  
Gonadal Hormones ◽  
Xy Model ◽  
Second Sex ◽  
Metabolic Variables ◽  
Novel Model

Abstract Three different models of MF1 strain mice were studied to measure the effects of gonadal secretions and sex chromosome type and number on body weight and composition, and on related metabolic variables such as glucose homeostasis, feeding, and activity. The 3 genetic models varied sex chromosome complement in different ways, as follows: 1) “four core genotypes” mice, comprising XX and XY gonadal males, and XX and XY gonadal females; 2) the XY* model comprising groups similar to XO, XX, XY, and XXY; and 3) a novel model comprising 6 groups having XO, XX, and XY chromosomes with either testes or ovaries. In gonadally intact mice, gonadal males were heavier than gonadal females, but sex chromosome complement also influenced weight. The male/female difference was abolished by adult gonadectomy, after which mice with 2 sex chromosomes (XX or XY) had greater body weight and percentage of body fat than mice with 1 X chromosome. A second sex chromosome of either type, X or Y, had similar effects, indicating that the 2 sex chromosomes each possess factors that influence body weight and composition in the MF1 genetic background. Sex chromosome complement also influenced metabolic variables such as food intake and glucose tolerance. The results reveal a role for the Y chromosome in metabolism independent of testes and gonadal hormones and point to a small number of X–Y gene pairs with similar coding sequences as candidates for causing these effects.

scholarly journals Telomere-to-telomere assembly of a fish Y chromosome reveals the origin of a young sex chromosome pair

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lingzhan Xue ◽  
Yu Gao ◽  
Meiying Wu ◽  
Tian Tian ◽  
Haiping Fan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Y Chromosome ◽  
Sex Chromosomes ◽  
Chromosome Pair ◽  
Sex Chromosome ◽  
Structural Variations ◽  
Recombination Suppression ◽  
Chromosome Differentiation ◽  
Y Chromosomes ◽  
Recent Origin ◽  
Mastacembelus Armatus

Abstract Background The origin of sex chromosomes requires the establishment of recombination suppression between the proto-sex chromosomes. In many fish species, the sex chromosome pair is homomorphic with a recent origin, providing species for studying how and why recombination suppression evolved in the initial stages of sex chromosome differentiation, but this requires accurate sequence assembly of the X and Y (or Z and W) chromosomes, which may be difficult if they are recently diverged. Results Here we produce a haplotype-resolved genome assembly of zig-zag eel (Mastacembelus armatus), an aquaculture fish, at the chromosomal scale. The diploid assembly is nearly gap-free, and in most chromosomes, we resolve the centromeric and subtelomeric heterochromatic sequences. In particular, the Y chromosome, including its highly repetitive short arm, has zero gaps. Using resequencing data, we identify a ~7 Mb fully sex-linked region (SLR), spanning the sex chromosome centromere and almost entirely embedded in the pericentromeric heterochromatin. The SLRs on the X and Y chromosomes are almost identical in sequence and gene content, but both are repetitive and heterochromatic, consistent with zero or low recombination. We further identify an HMG-domain containing gene HMGN6 in the SLR as a candidate sex-determining gene that is expressed at the onset of testis development. Conclusions Our study supports the idea that preexisting regions of low recombination, such as pericentromeric regions, can give rise to SLR in the absence of structural variations between the proto-sex chromosomes.

scholarly journals Evolution of dosage compensation does not depend on genomic background

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michail Rovatsos ◽  
Lukáš Kratochvíl
Keyword(s):  
Dosage Compensation ◽  
Sex Chromosomes ◽  
Sex Chromosome ◽  
Genomic Region ◽  
Gene Copy ◽  
Gene Dose ◽  
Copy Numbers ◽  
Compensation Mechanisms ◽  
Gene Copy Numbers ◽  
Softshell Turtles

AbstractOrganisms evolved various mechanisms to cope with the differences in the gene copy numbers between sexes caused by degeneration of Y and W sex chromosomes. Complete dosage compensation or at least expression balance between sexes was reported predominantly in XX/XY, but rarely in ZZ/ZW systems. However, this often-reported pattern is based on comparisons of lineages where sex chromosomes evolved from non-homologous genomic regions, potentially differing in sensitivity to differences in gene copy numbers. Here we document that two reptilian lineages (XX/XY iguanas and ZZ/ZW softshell turtles), which independently co-opted the same ancestral genomic region for the function of sex chromosomes, evolved different gene dose regulatory mechanisms. The independent co-option of the same genomic region for the role of sex chromosome as in the iguanas and the softshell turtles offers a great opportunity for testing evolutionary scenarios on the sex chromosome evolution under the explicit control for the genomic background and for gene identity. We showed that the parallel loss of functional genes from the Y chromosome of the green anole and the W chromosome of the Florida softshell turtle led to different dosage compensation mechanisms. Our approach controlling for genetic background thus does not support that the variability in the regulation of the gene dose differences is a consequence of ancestral autosomal gene content.

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