Sequencing of rhesus macaque Y chromosome clarifies origins and evolution of the DAZ (Deleted in AZoospermia) genes
Author(s)
Hughes, Jennifer F.; Skaletsky, Helen; Page, David C
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Studies of Y chromosome evolution often emphasize gene loss, but this loss has been counterbalanced by addition of new genes. The DAZ genes, which are critical to human spermatogenesis, were acquired by the Y chromosome in the ancestor of Old World monkeys and apes. We and our colleagues recently sequenced the rhesus macaque Y chromosome, and comparison of this sequence to human and chimpanzee enables us to reconstruct much of the evolutionary history of DAZ. We report that DAZ arrived on the Y chromosome about 38 million years ago via the transposition of at least 1.1 megabases of autosomal DNA. This transposition also brought five additional genes to the Y chromosome, but all five genes were subsequently lost through mutation or deletion. As the only surviving gene, DAZ experienced extensive restructuring, including intragenic amplification and gene duplication, and has been the target of positive selection in the chimpanzee lineage.
Date issued
2012-12Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biology; Whitehead Institute for Biomedical ResearchJournal
BioEssays
Publisher
John Wiley & Sons, Inc
Citation
Hughes, Jennifer F., Helen Skaletsky, and David C. Page. “Sequencing of rhesus macaque Y chromosome clarifies origins and evolution of the DAZ (Deleted in AZoospermia) genes.” BioEssays 34, no. 12 (December 10, 2012): 1035-1044.
Version: Author's final manuscript
ISSN
02659247