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Sex determination in mammals - before and after the evolution of SRY

Date

2008

Authors

Wallis, Mary
Waters, Paul
Graves, Jennifer

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Birkhauser Verlag

Abstract

Therian mammals (marsupials and placentals) have an XX female: XY male sex chromosome system, which is homologous to autosomes in other vertebrates. The testis-determining gene, SRY, is conserved on the Y throughout therians, but is absent in other vertebrates, suggesting that the mammal system evolved about 310 million years ago (MYA). However, recent work on the basal monotreme mammals has completely changed our conception of how and when this change occurred. Platypus and echidna lack SRY, and the therian X and Y are represented by autosomes, implying that SRY evolved in therians after their divergence from monotremes only 166 MYA. Clues to the ancestral mechanism usurped by SRY in therians are provided by the monotremes, whose sex chromosomes are homologous to the ZW of birds. This suggests that the therian X and Y, and the SRY gene, evolved from an ancient bird-like sex chromosome system which predates the divergence of mammals and reptiles 310 MYA.

Description

Keywords

Keywords: transcription factor Sox3; cell differentiation; cell proliferation; fluorescence in situ hybridization; gene deletion; gene expression; gene function; gene insertion; gene location; gene mapping; gene sequence; gene structure; genetic variability; human; Evolution; Mammalian sex determination; SRY

Citation

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/1885/60867

Collections

ANU Research Publications

Source

Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences

Type

Journal article

Book Title

Entity type

Access Statement

License Rights

DOI

10.1007/s00018-008-8109-z

Restricted until

2037-12-31

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