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Gil-Fernández A, Ribagorda M, Martín-Ruiz M, López-Jiménez P, Laguna T, Gómez R, Parra MT, Viera A, Veyrunes F, Page J. Meiotic Behavior of Achiasmate Sex Chromosomes in the African Pygmy Mouse Mus mattheyi Offers New Insights into the Evolution of Sex Chromosome Pairing and Segregation in Mammals. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:1434. [PMID: 34573416 PMCID: PMC8471055 DOI: 10.3390/genes12091434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Revised: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
X and Y chromosomes in mammals are different in size and gene content due to an evolutionary process of differentiation and degeneration of the Y chromosome. Nevertheless, these chromosomes usually share a small region of homology, the pseudoautosomal region (PAR), which allows them to perform a partial synapsis and undergo reciprocal recombination during meiosis, which ensures their segregation. However, in some mammalian species the PAR has been lost, which challenges the pairing and segregation of sex chromosomes in meiosis. The African pygmy mouse Mus mattheyi shows completely differentiated sex chromosomes, representing an uncommon evolutionary situation among mouse species. We have performed a detailed analysis of the location of proteins involved in synaptonemal complex assembly (SYCP3), recombination (RPA, RAD51 and MLH1) and sex chromosome inactivation (γH2AX) in this species. We found that neither synapsis nor chiasmata are found between sex chromosomes and their pairing is notably delayed compared to autosomes. Interestingly, the Y chromosome only incorporates RPA and RAD51 in a reduced fraction of spermatocytes, indicating a particular DNA repair dynamic on this chromosome. The analysis of segregation revealed that sex chromosomes are associated until metaphase-I just by a chromatin contact. Unexpectedly, both sex chromosomes remain labelled with γH2AX during first meiotic division. This chromatin contact is probably enough to maintain sex chromosome association up to anaphase-I and, therefore, could be relevant to ensure their reductional segregation. The results presented suggest that the regulation of both DNA repair and epigenetic modifications in the sex chromosomes can have a great impact on the divergence of sex chromosomes and their proper transmission, widening our understanding on the relationship between meiosis and the evolution of sex chromosomes in mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Gil-Fernández
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain; (A.G.-F.); (M.R.); (M.M.-R.); (P.L.-J.); (T.L.); (R.G.); (M.T.P.); (A.V.)
| | - Marta Ribagorda
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain; (A.G.-F.); (M.R.); (M.M.-R.); (P.L.-J.); (T.L.); (R.G.); (M.T.P.); (A.V.)
| | - Marta Martín-Ruiz
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain; (A.G.-F.); (M.R.); (M.M.-R.); (P.L.-J.); (T.L.); (R.G.); (M.T.P.); (A.V.)
| | - Pablo López-Jiménez
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain; (A.G.-F.); (M.R.); (M.M.-R.); (P.L.-J.); (T.L.); (R.G.); (M.T.P.); (A.V.)
| | - Tamara Laguna
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain; (A.G.-F.); (M.R.); (M.M.-R.); (P.L.-J.); (T.L.); (R.G.); (M.T.P.); (A.V.)
| | - Rocío Gómez
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain; (A.G.-F.); (M.R.); (M.M.-R.); (P.L.-J.); (T.L.); (R.G.); (M.T.P.); (A.V.)
| | - María Teresa Parra
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain; (A.G.-F.); (M.R.); (M.M.-R.); (P.L.-J.); (T.L.); (R.G.); (M.T.P.); (A.V.)
| | - Alberto Viera
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain; (A.G.-F.); (M.R.); (M.M.-R.); (P.L.-J.); (T.L.); (R.G.); (M.T.P.); (A.V.)
| | - Frederic Veyrunes
- Institut des Sciences de l’Evolution, ISEM UMR 5554 (CNRS/Université Montpellier/IRD/EPHE), 34090 Montpellier, France;
| | - Jesús Page
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain; (A.G.-F.); (M.R.); (M.M.-R.); (P.L.-J.); (T.L.); (R.G.); (M.T.P.); (A.V.)
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2
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Gil-Fernández A, Saunders PA, Martín-Ruiz M, Ribagorda M, López-Jiménez P, Jeffries DL, Parra MT, Viera A, Rufas JS, Perrin N, Veyrunes F, Page J. Meiosis reveals the early steps in the evolution of a neo-XY sex chromosome pair in the African pygmy mouse Mus minutoides. PLoS Genet 2020; 16:e1008959. [PMID: 33180767 PMCID: PMC7685469 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2020] [Revised: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Sex chromosomes of eutherian mammals are highly different in size and gene content, and share only a small region of homology (pseudoautosomal region, PAR). They are thought to have evolved through an addition-attrition cycle involving the addition of autosomal segments to sex chromosomes and their subsequent differentiation. The events that drive this process are difficult to investigate because sex chromosomes in almost all mammals are at a very advanced stage of differentiation. Here, we have taken advantage of a recent translocation of an autosome to both sex chromosomes in the African pygmy mouse Mus minutoides, which has restored a large segment of homology (neo-PAR). By studying meiotic sex chromosome behavior and identifying fully sex-linked genetic markers in the neo-PAR, we demonstrate that this region shows unequivocal signs of early sex-differentiation. First, synapsis and resolution of DNA damage intermediates are delayed in the neo-PAR during meiosis. Second, recombination is suppressed or largely reduced in a large portion of the neo-PAR. However, the inactivation process that characterizes sex chromosomes during meiosis does not extend to this region. Finally, the sex chromosomes show a dual mechanism of association at metaphase-I that involves the formation of a chiasma in the neo-PAR and the preservation of an ancestral achiasmate mode of association in the non-homologous segments. We show that the study of meiosis is crucial to apprehend the onset of sex chromosome differentiation, as it introduces structural and functional constrains to sex chromosome evolution. Synapsis and DNA repair dynamics are the first processes affected in the incipient differentiation of X and Y chromosomes, and they may be involved in accelerating their evolution. This provides one of the very first reports of early steps in neo-sex chromosome differentiation in mammals, and for the first time a cellular framework for the addition-attrition model of sex chromosome evolution. Sex chromosomes seem to evolve and differentiate at different rates in different taxa. The reasons for this variability are still debated. It is well established that recombination suppression around the sex-determining region triggers differentiation, and several studies have investigated this process from a genetic point of view. However, the cellular context in which recombination arrest occurs has received little attention so far. In this report, we show that meiosis, the cellular division in which pairing and recombination between chromosomes takes place, can affect the incipient differentiation of X and Y chromosomes. Combining cytogenetic and genomic approaches, we found that in the African pygmy mouse Mus minutoides, which has recently undergone sex chromosome-autosome fusions, synapsis and DNA repair dynamics are disturbed along the newly added region of the sex chromosomes. We argue that these alterations are a by-product of the fusion itself, and cause recombination suppression across a large region of the neo-sex chromosome pair. Therefore, we propose that the meiotic context in which sex or neo-sex chromosomes arise is crucial to understand the very early stages of their differentiation, as it could promote or hinder recombination suppression, and therefore impact the rate at which these chromosomes differentiate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Gil-Fernández
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Paul A. Saunders
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, ISEM UMR 5554 (CNRS/Université Montpellier/IRD/EPHE), Montpellier, France
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Marta Martín-Ruiz
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Marta Ribagorda
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Pablo López-Jiménez
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Daniel L. Jeffries
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - María Teresa Parra
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alberto Viera
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Julio S. Rufas
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Nicolas Perrin
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Frederic Veyrunes
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, ISEM UMR 5554 (CNRS/Université Montpellier/IRD/EPHE), Montpellier, France
| | - Jesús Page
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- * E-mail:
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3
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Meiotic Executioner Genes Protect the Y from Extinction. Trends Genet 2020; 36:728-738. [PMID: 32773168 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2020.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2020] [Revised: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 06/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
The Y has been described as a wimpy degraded relic of the X, with imminent demise should it lose sex-determining function. Why then has it persisted in almost all mammals? Here we present a novel mechanistic explanation for its evolutionary perseverance: the persistent Y hypothesis. The Y chromosome bears genes that act as their own judge, jury, and executioner in the tightly regulated meiotic surveillance pathways. These executioners are crucial for successful meiosis, yet need to be silenced during the meiotic sex chromosome inactivation window, otherwise germ cells die. Only rare transposition events to the X, where they remain subject to obligate meiotic silencing, are heritable, posing strong evolutionary constraint for the Y chromosome to persist.
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4
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Romanenko SA, Fedorova YE, Serdyukova NA, Zaccaroni M, Stanyon R, Graphodatsky AS. Evolutionary rearrangements of X chromosomes in voles (Arvicolinae, Rodentia). Sci Rep 2020; 10:13235. [PMID: 32764633 PMCID: PMC7413345 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-70226-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Euchromatic segments of the X chromosomes of placental mammals are the most conservative elements of the karyotype, only rarely subjected to either inter- or intrachromosomal rearrangements. Here, using microdissection-derived set of region-specific probes of Terricola savii we detailed the evolutionary rearrangements found in X chromosomes in 20 vole species (Arvicolinae, Rodentia). We show that the evolution of X chromosomes in this taxon was accompanied by multiple para- and pericentric inversions and centromere shifts. The contribution of intrachromosomal rearrangements to the karyotype evolution of Arvicolinae species was approximately equivalent in both the separate autosomal conserved segments and the X chromosomes. Intrachromosmal rearrangements and structural reorganization of the X chromosomes was likely accompanied by an accumulation, distribution, and evolution of repeated sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yulia E Fedorova
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, SB RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia.,Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | | | - Marco Zaccaroni
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Roscoe Stanyon
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
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5
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Dumont BL, Williams CL, Ng BL, Horncastle V, Chambers CL, McGraw LA, Adams D, Mackay TFC, Breen M. Relationship Between Sequence Homology, Genome Architecture, and Meiotic Behavior of the Sex Chromosomes in North American Voles. Genetics 2018; 210:83-97. [PMID: 30002081 PMCID: PMC6116968 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.118.301182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2018] [Accepted: 07/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In most mammals, the X and Y chromosomes synapse and recombine along a conserved region of homology known as the pseudoautosomal region (PAR). These homology-driven interactions are required for meiotic progression and are essential for male fertility. Although the PAR fulfills key meiotic functions in most mammals, several exceptional species lack PAR-mediated sex chromosome associations at meiosis. Here, we leveraged the natural variation in meiotic sex chromosome programs present in North American voles (Microtus) to investigate the relationship between meiotic sex chromosome dynamics and X/Y sequence homology. To this end, we developed a novel, reference-blind computational method to analyze sparse sequencing data from flow-sorted X and Y chromosomes isolated from vole species with sex chromosomes that always (Microtus montanus), never (Microtus mogollonensis), and occasionally synapse (Microtus ochrogaster) at meiosis. Unexpectedly, we find more shared X/Y homology in the two vole species with no and sporadic X/Y synapsis compared to the species with obligate synapsis. Sex chromosome homology in the asynaptic and occasionally synaptic species is interspersed along chromosomes and largely restricted to low-complexity sequences, including a striking enrichment for the telomeric repeat sequence, TTAGGG. In contrast, homology is concentrated in high complexity, and presumably euchromatic, sequence on the X and Y chromosomes of the synaptic vole species, M. montanus Taken together, our findings suggest key conditions required to sustain the standard program of X/Y synapsis at meiosis and reveal an intriguing connection between heterochromatic repeat architecture and noncanonical, asynaptic mechanisms of sex chromosome segregation in voles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beth L Dumont
- Initiative in Biological Complexity, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 04609
| | - Christina L Williams
- Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 04609
| | - Bee Ling Ng
- Cytometry Core Facility, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, United Kingdom, CB10 1SA
| | - Valerie Horncastle
- School of Forestry, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona 86011
| | - Carol L Chambers
- School of Forestry, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona 86011
| | - Lisa A McGraw
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 04609
| | - David Adams
- Cytometry Core Facility, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, United Kingdom, CB10 1SA
| | - Trudy F C Mackay
- Initiative in Biological Complexity, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 04609
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 04609
- Comparative Medicine Institute, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 04609
| | - Matthew Breen
- Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 04609
- Comparative Medicine Institute, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 04609
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6
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Dynamics of vertebrate sex chromosome evolution: from equal size to giants and dwarfs. Chromosoma 2015; 125:553-71. [DOI: 10.1007/s00412-015-0569-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2015] [Revised: 12/09/2015] [Accepted: 12/10/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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7
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Romanenko SA, Lemskaya NA, Trifonov VA, Serdyukova NA, O'Brien PCM, Bulatova NS, Golenishchev FN, Ferguson-Smith MA, Yang F, Graphodatsky AS. Genome-wide comparative chromosome maps of Arvicola amphibius, Dicrostonyx torquatus, and Myodes rutilus. Chromosome Res 2015; 24:145-59. [PMID: 26611440 DOI: 10.1007/s10577-015-9504-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2015] [Revised: 11/05/2015] [Accepted: 11/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The subfamily Arvicolinae consists of a great number of species with highly diversified karyotypes. In spite of the wide use of arvicolines in biological and medicine studies, the data on their karyotype structures are limited. Here, we made a set of painting probes from flow-sorted chromosomes of a male Palearctic collared lemming (Dicrostonyx torquatus, DTO). Together with the sets of painting probes made previously from the field vole (Microtus agrestis, MAG) and golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus, MAU), we carried out a reciprocal chromosome painting between these three species. The three sets of probes were further hybridized onto the chromosomes of the Eurasian water vole (Arvicola amphibius) and northern red-backed vole (Myodes rutilus). We defined the diploid chromosome number in D. torquatus karyotype as 2n = 45 + Bs and showed that the system of sex chromosomes is X1X2Y1. The probes developed here provide a genomic tool-kit, which will help to investigate the evolutionary biology of the Arvicolinae rodents. Our results show that the syntenic association MAG1/17 is present not only in Arvicolinae but also in some species of Cricetinae; and thus, should not be considered as a cytogenetic signature for Arvicolinae. Although cytogenetic signature markers for the genera have not yet been found, our data provides insight into the likely ancestral karyotype of Arvicolinae. We conclude that the karyotypes of modern voles could have evolved from a common ancestral arvicoline karyotype (AAK) with 2n = 56 mainly by centric fusions and fissions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Svetlana A Romanenko
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, SB RAS, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia. .,Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia.
| | - Natalya A Lemskaya
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, SB RAS, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia
| | - Vladimir A Trifonov
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, SB RAS, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia.,Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia
| | - Natalya A Serdyukova
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, SB RAS, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia
| | - Patricia C M O'Brien
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Cambridge Resource Centre for Comparative Genomics, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 OES, UK
| | - Nina Sh Bulatova
- A. N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Moscow, 119071, Russia
| | | | - Malcolm A Ferguson-Smith
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Cambridge Resource Centre for Comparative Genomics, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 OES, UK
| | - Fengtang Yang
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
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8
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Dynamics of the two heterochromatin types during imprinted X chromosome inactivation in vole Microtus levis. PLoS One 2014; 9:e88256. [PMID: 24505450 PMCID: PMC3913780 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0088256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2013] [Accepted: 01/07/2014] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
In rodent female mammals, there are two forms of X-inactivation – imprinted and random which take place in extraembryonic and embryonic tissues, respectively. The inactive X-chromosome during random X-inactivation was shown to contain two types of facultative heterochromatin that alternate and do not overlap. However, chromatin structure of the inactive X-chromosome during imprinted X-inactivation, especially at early stages, is still not well understood. In this work, we studied chromatin modifications associated with the inactive X-chromosome at different stages of imprinted X-inactivation in a rodent, Microtus levis. It has been found that imprinted X-inactivation in vole occurs in a species-specific manner in two steps. The inactive X-chromosome at early stages of imprinted X-inactivation is characterized by accumulation of H3K9me3, HP1, H4K20me3, and uH2A, resembling to some extent the pattern of repressive chromatin modifications of meiotic sex chromatin. Later, the inactive X-chromosome recruits trimethylated H3K27 and acquires the two types of heterochromatin associated with random X-inactivation.
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9
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Giant sex chromosomes retained within the Portuguese lineage of the field vole (Microtus agrestis). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012. [DOI: 10.1007/s13364-012-0087-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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10
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Systematics and evolution of the African pygmy mice, subgenus Nannomys: A review. ACTA OECOLOGICA-INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.actao.2012.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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11
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de la Fuente R, Sánchez A, Marchal JA, Viera A, Parra MT, Rufas JS, Page J. A synaptonemal complex-derived mechanism for meiotic segregation precedes the evolutionary loss of homology between sex chromosomes in arvicolid mammals. Chromosoma 2012; 121:433-46. [PMID: 22552439 DOI: 10.1007/s00412-012-0374-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2012] [Accepted: 04/11/2012] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Synapsis and reciprocal recombination between sex chromosomes are restricted to the pseudoautosomal region. In some animal species, sex chromosomes do not present this region, although they utilize alternative mechanisms that ensure meiotic pairing and segregation. The subfamily Arvicolinae (Rodentia, Cricetidae) includes numerous species with achiasmate sex chromosomes. In order to know whether the mechanism involved in achiasmate segregation is an ancient feature in arvicolid species, we have compared the sex chromosomes of both the Mediterranean vole (Microtus duodecimcostatus) and the water vole (Arvicola terrestris). By means of immunofluorescence, we have found that sex chromosomes in M. duodecimcostatus are asynaptic and develop a synaptonemal complex-derived structure that mediates pairing and facilitates segregation. In A. terrestris, sex chromosomes are synaptic and chiasmate but also exhibit a synaptonemal complex-derived filament during anaphase I. Since phylogenetic relationships indicate that the synaptic condition is ancestral in arvicolids, this finding indicates that the mechanism for achiasmate sex chromosome segregation precedes the switching to the asynaptic condition. We discuss the origin of this synaptonemal complex-derived mechanism that, in turn, could counterbalance the disruption of homology in the sex chromosomes of those species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto de la Fuente
- Unidad de Biología Celular, Departamento de Biología, Edificio de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C/ Darwin 2, Madrid, 28049, Spain
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12
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Borodin PM, Basheva EA, Torgasheva AA, Dashkevich OA, Golenishchev FN, Kartavtseva IV, Mekada K, Dumont BL. Multiple independent evolutionary losses of XY pairing at meiosis in the grey voles. Chromosome Res 2011; 20:259-68. [PMID: 22161017 DOI: 10.1007/s10577-011-9261-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2011] [Revised: 11/23/2011] [Accepted: 11/23/2011] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
In many eutherian mammals, X-Y chromosome pairing and recombination is required for meiotic progression and correct sex chromosome disjunction. Arvicoline rodents present a notable exception to this meiotic rule, with multiple species possessing asynaptic sex chromosomes. Most asynaptic vole species belong to the genus Microtus sensu lato. However, many of the species both inside and outside the genus Microtus display normal X-Y synapsis at meiosis. These observations suggest that the synaptic condition was present in the common ancestor of all voles, but gaps in current taxonomic sampling across the arvicoline phylogeny prevent identification of the lineage(s) along which the asynaptic state arose. In this study, we use electron and immunofluorescent microscopy to assess heterogametic sex chromosome pairing in 12 additional arvicoline species. Our sample includes ten species of the tribe Microtini and two species of the tribe Lagurini. This increased breadth of sampling allowed us to identify asynaptic species in each major Microtine lineage. Evidently, the ability of the sex chromosomes to pair and recombine in male meiosis has been independently lost at least three times during the evolution of Microtine rodents. These results suggest a lack of evolutionary constraint on X-Y synapsis in Microtini, hinting at the presence of alternative molecular mechanisms for sex chromosome segregation in this large mammalian tribe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavel M Borodin
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Siberian Department, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia,
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13
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Safronova LD, Golenishchev FN, Cherepanova EV, Baskevich MI. Meiosis in gray voles of the subgenus Microtus (Rodentia, Arvicolinae) and in their hybrids. RUSS J GENET+ 2011. [DOI: 10.1134/s1022795411040107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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14
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Rovatsos MT, Mitsainas GP, Paspali G, Oruci S, Giagia-Athanasopoulou EB. Geographical distribution and chromosomal study of the underground vole Microtus thomasi in Albania and Montenegro. Mamm Biol 2011. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mambio.2010.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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15
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Mitsainas GP, Rovatsos MT, Giagia-Athanasopoulou EB. Heterochromatin study and geographical distribution of Microtus species (Rodentia, Arvicolinae) from Greece. Mamm Biol 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mambio.2008.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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16
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MITSAINAS GEORGEP, ROVATSOS MICHAILTH, RIZOU ELENII, GIAGIA-ATHANASOPOULOU EVAB. Sex chromosome variability outlines the pathway to the chromosomal evolution in Microtus thomasi (Rodentia, Arvicolinae). Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2009. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2008.01161.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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17
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Rovatsos MT, Mitsainas GP, Stamatopoulos C, Giagia-Athanasopoulou EB. First reports of XXY aneuploidy in natural populations of Thomas’ pine vole Microtus thomasi (Rodentia: Arvicolidae) from Greece. Mamm Biol 2008. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mambio.2007.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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18
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Chassovnikarova TG, Markov GG, Atanasov NI, Dimitrov HA. Sex chromosome polymorphism in Bulgarian populations ofMicrotus guentheri(Danford & Alston, 1880). J NAT HIST 2008. [DOI: 10.1080/00222930701835100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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19
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Safronova LD, Cherepanova EV. Behavior of sex chromosomes at early meiosis stages in three wood mice species of the genus Apodemus (Rodentia, Muridae). RUSS J GENET+ 2007. [DOI: 10.1134/s1022795407060099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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20
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Marchal JA, Acosta MJ, Bullejos M, Puerma E, Díaz de la Guardia R, Sánchez A. Distribution of L1-retroposons on the giant sex chromosomes of Microtus cabrerae (Arvicolidae, Rodentia): functional and evolutionary implications. Chromosome Res 2006; 14:177-86. [PMID: 16544191 DOI: 10.1007/s10577-006-1034-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2005] [Accepted: 01/06/2006] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Long interspersed nuclear elements (L1 or LINE-1) are the most abundant and active retroposons in the mammalian genome. Traditionally, the bulk of L1 sequences have been explained by the 'selfish DNA' hypothesis; however, recently it has been also argued that L1s could play an important role in genome and gene organizations. The non-random chromosomal distribution of these retroelements is a striking feature considered to reflect this functionality. In the present study we have cloned and analyzed three different L1 fragments from the genome of the rodent Microtus cabrerae. In addition, we have examined the chromosomal distribution of this L1 in several species of Microtus, a very interesting group owing to the presence in some species of enlarged ('giant') sex chromosomes. Interestingly, in all species analyzed, L1-retroposons have preferentially accumulated on both the giant- and the normal-sized sex chromosomes compared with the autosomes. Also we have demonstrated that L1-retroposons are not similarly distributed among the heterochromatic blocks of the giant sex chromosomes in M. cabrerae and M. agrestis, which suggest that L1 retroposition and amplification over the sex heterochromatin have been different and independent processes in each species. Finally, we proposed that the main factors responsible for the L1 distribution on the mammalian sex chromosomes are the heterochromatic nature of the Y chromosome and the possible role of L1 sequences during the X-inactivation process.
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Affiliation(s)
- J A Marchal
- Departamento de Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Experimentales, Universidad de Jaén, Campus Las Lagunillas s/n, E-23071, Jaén, Spain
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21
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Megías-Nogales B, Marchal JA, Acosta MJ, Bullejos M, Díaz de la Guardia R, Sánchez A. Sex chromosomes pairing in two Arvicolidae species: Microtus nivalis and Arvicola sapidus. Hereditas 2004; 138:114-21. [PMID: 12921162 DOI: 10.1034/j.1601-5223.2003.01717.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Arvicolid rodents present both synaptic and asynaptic sex chromosomes. We analyzed the pairing behaviour of sex chromosomes in two species belonging to this rodent group (Microtus nivalis and Arvicola sapidus). At pachynema, the sex chromosomes of both species paired in a small region while the rest remain unsynapsed. Consequently at metaphase I, sex chromosomes present end-to-end association. Thus, the pairing behaviour of sex chromosomes in these species is very similar to that previously described for other arvicolid rodents and for most mammals. According to this, we propose that synaptic sex chromosomes were the ancestral condition in the family Arvicolidae, including the genus Microtus. The phylogenetic origin of the asynaptic sex chromosomes in the genus Microtus would have arisen once in the lineage that originated the species M. arvalis/agrestis and related species, while the lineage that originated the species M. oeconomous and related species conserved synaptic chromosomes. Furthermore, the phylogenetic relationships between the genus Microtus, Chionomys and Pitymys are discussed in relation to the synaptic behaviour of sex chromosomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Belen Megías-Nogales
- Departamento de Genètica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
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22
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Rubtsov NB, Rubtsova NV, Anopriyenko OV, Karamysheva TV, Shevchenko AI, Mazurok NA, Nesterova TB, Zakian SM. Reorganization of the X chromosome in voles of the genus Microtus. Cytogenet Genome Res 2004; 99:323-9. [PMID: 12900582 DOI: 10.1159/000071611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2002] [Accepted: 12/02/2002] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Comparative chromosomal analysis is a powerful tool in the investigation of the mechanisms of chromosomal evolution. The accuracy of the analysis depends on the availability of region-specific markers to follow the fate of the particular chromosomal region through the evolution of species. We have assigned 12 unique sequences to the euchromatic part of the vole X chromosome, which serve as reliable markers of chromosomal segments. Together with region-specific libraries and GTG banding, these markers allow us to delineate the homologous regions of the X chromosomes in five species of the genus Microtus. We found that X chromosomes of these species differ by numerous rearrangements and all rearrangements are clustered at specific breakpoints. Moreover, these breakpoints were found to colocalise with repetitive and/or duplicated DNA sequences. We suggest that clusters of repeated and/or duplicated DNA sequences have played a crucial role in the formation of rearrangement hot spots during evolution of the X chromosome in the subgenus Microtus.
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Affiliation(s)
- N B Rubtsov
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Siberian Department, Novosibirsk, Russia
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23
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Marchal JA, Acosta MJ, Bullejos M, Díaz de la Guardia R, Sánchez A. Sex chromosomes, sex determination, and sex-linked sequences in Microtidae. Cytogenet Genome Res 2004; 101:266-73. [PMID: 14684993 DOI: 10.1159/000074347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2003] [Accepted: 09/03/2003] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The Arvicolidae is a widely distributed rodent group with several interesting characteristics in their sex chromosomes. Here, we summarize the actual knowledge of some of these characteristics. This mammalian group has species with abnormal sex determination systems. In fact, some species present the same karyotype in both males and females, with total absence of a Y chromosome, and hence of SRY and ZFY genes. Other species present fertile, sex-reversed XY females, generally due to mutations affecting X chromosomes. Furthermore, in Microtus oregoni males and females are gonosomic mosaic (the females are XO in the soma and XX in the germ cells, while the males are XY in the soma and OY in the germ cells). Regarding sex chromosomes, some species present enlarged (giant) sex chromosomes because of the presence of large blocks of constitutive heterochromatin, which have been demonstrated to be highly heterogeneous. Furthermore, we also consider the alterations affecting composition and localization of sex-linked genes or repeated sequences. Finally, this rodent group includes species with synaptic and asynaptic sex chromosomes. In fact, several species with asynaptic sex chromosomes have been described. It is interesting to note that within the genus Microtus both types of sex chromosomes are present.
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Affiliation(s)
- J A Marchal
- Departamento de Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Experimentales y de la Salud, Universidad de Jaén, Jaén, Spain
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24
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Zybina TG, Zybina EV, Bogdanova MS, Stein GI. Quantitative investigation of reproduction of gonosomal condensed chromatin during trophoblast cell polyploidization and endoreduplication in the East-European field vole Microtus rossiaemeridionalis. Reprod Biol Endocrinol 2003; 1:32. [PMID: 12725646 PMCID: PMC155541 DOI: 10.1186/1477-7827-1-32] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2003] [Accepted: 04/08/2003] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Simultaneous determinations of DNA content in cell nuclei and condensed chromatin bodies formed by heterochromatized regions of sex chromosomes (gonosomal chromatin bodies, GCB) have been performed in two trophoblast cell populations of the East-European field vole Microtus rossiaemeridionalis: in the proliferative population of trophoblast cells of the junctional zone of placenta and in the secondary giant trophoblast cells. One or two GCBs have been observed in trophoblast cell nuclei of all embryos studied (perhaps both male and female). In the proliferative trophoblast cell population characterized by low ploidy levels (2-16c) and in the highly polyploid population of secondary giant trophoblast cells (32-256c) the total DNA content in GCB increased proportionally to the ploidy level. In individual GCBs the DNA content also rose proportionally to the ploidy level in nuclei both with one and with two GCBs in both trophoblast cell populations. Some increase in percentage of nuclei with 2-3 GCBs was shown in nuclei of the placenta junctional zone; this may be accounted for by genome multiplication via uncompleted mitoses. In nuclei of the secondary giant trophoblast cells (16-256c) the number of GCBs did not exceed 2, and the fraction of nuclei with two GCBs did not increase, which suggests the polytene nature of sex chromosomes in these cells. In all classes of ploidy the DNA content in trophoblast cell nuclei with the single GCB was lower than in nuclei with two and more GCBs. This can indicate that the single GCB in many cases does not derive from fusion of two GCBs. The measurements in individual GCBs suggest that different heterochromatized regions of the X- and Y-chromosome may contribute in GCB formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana G Zybina
- Institute of Cytology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 4 Tikhoretsky ave, 194064 St, Russia.
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25
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26
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Singh A, Henschel S, Sperling K, Kalscheuer V, Neitzel H. Differences in the meiotic pairing behavior of gonosomal heterochromatin between female and male Microtus agrestis: implications for the mechanism of heterochromatin amplification on the X and Y. CYTOGENETICS AND CELL GENETICS 2001; 91:253-60. [PMID: 11173866 DOI: 10.1159/000056854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
It is generally thought that pairing and recombination between the X and Y chromosome in eutherian mammals is important for the occurrence of normal meiotic division and the production of functional gametes. Microtus agrestis is one of the examples whose giant and heterochromatin-rich sex chromosomes fail to establish a durable association at any stage of the first meiotic division in males. In contrast, in females, synapsis starts in the euchromatic short arm and pairing progresses unidirectionally and continues until both X chromosomes have paired completely, as can be demonstrated by the use of fluorescence in situ hybridization with a sequence confined to the non-centromeric, gonosomal heterochromatin. However, compared with euchromatin, this association is apparently ephemeral and breaks off precociously in the pachytene and metaphase I stages. We demonstrate that a middle repetitive element is localized interspersed in the noncentromeric heterochromatin of both X and Y, except the telomeric region of the Y. No differences could be detected at the molecular level between male and female DNA, indicating that at least the bulk of these elements are organized in the same manner on the X and Y. Our data imply that the loss of synapsis and recombination between the X and Y might have preceded the process of heterochromatin amplification in the course of Microtinae evolution. Since asynapsed elements are particularly susceptible to DNA strand breaks during prophase I, DNA repair of double-strand breaks involving heterochromatic segments of the X and Y could have resulted in translocations of larger segments from the X to the Y or vice versa during the course of chromosome evolution of the gonosomes, explaining the homology at the molecular level between the heterochromatin of the asynaptic X and Y in M. agrestis.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Singh
- Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India
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27
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Mekada K, Harada M, Lin LK, Koyasu K, Borodin PM, Oda SI. Pattern of X-Y chromosome pairing in the Taiwan vole, Microtus kikuchii. Genome 2001. [DOI: 10.1139/g00-091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Pairing of X and Y chromosomes at meiotic prophase and the G- and C-banding patterns and nucleolar organizer region (NOR) distribution were analyzed in Microtus kikuchii. M. kikuchii is closely related to M. oeconomus and M. montebelli, karyologically and systematically. The formation of a synaptonemal complex between the X and Y chromosomes at pachytene and end-to-end association at diakinesis metaphase I are only observed in three species in the genus Microtus; M. kikuchii, M. oeconomus, and M. montebelli. All the other species that have been studied so far have had asynaptic XY chromosomes. These data confirm that M. kikuchii, M. oeconomus, and M. montebelli are very closely related, and support the separation of asynaptic and synaptic groups on the phylogenetic tree.Key words: Microtus kikuchii, Microtus phylogeny, karyotype, synaptic sex chromosomes, synaptonemal complex.
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28
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Borodin PM, Rogatcheva MB, Koyasu K, Fukuta K, Mekada K, Oda SI. Pattern of X-Y chromosome pairing in the Japanese field vole, Microtus montebelli. Genome 1997; 40:829-33. [PMID: 9449794 DOI: 10.1139/g97-807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Pairing of X and Y chromosomes at meiotic prophase in males of Microtus montebelli was analyzed. The sex chromosomes form a synaptonemal complex at pachytene and end-to-end association at diakinesis-metaphase I in two species of the genus Microtus (M. montebelli and M. oeconomus) only, while they do not pair at all in the other species of this genus that have been studied so far. These data confirm that M. montebelli and M. oeconomus are very closely related in their origin. It is suggested that the sex chromosomes of M. montebelli and M. oeconomus display the ancestral type of X-Y pairing. The lack of X-Y pairing in most species of Microtus appeared after the split in lineage that led to M. oeconomus and M. montebelli on the one hand and the remaining species on the other.
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Affiliation(s)
- P M Borodin
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Novosibirsk, Russia
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