Sequence analysis in Bos taurus reveals pervasiveness of X-Y arms races in mammalian lineages [RESEARCH]

Studies of Y Chromosome evolution have focused primarily on gene decay, a consequence of suppression of crossing-over with the X Chromosome. Here, we provide evidence that suppression of X–Y crossing-over unleashed a second dynamic: selfish X–Y arms races that reshaped the sex chromosomes in mammals as different as cattle, mice, and men. Using super-resolution sequencing, we explore the Y Chromosome of Bos taurus (bull) and find it to be dominated by massive, lineage-specific amplification of testis-expressed gene families, making it the most gene-dense Y Chromosome sequenced to date. As in mice, an X-linked homolog of a bull Y-amplified gene has become testis-specific and amplified. This evolutionary convergence implies that lineage-specific X–Y coevolution through gene amplification, and the selfish forces underlying this phenomenon, were dominatingly powerful among diverse mammalian lineages. Together with Y gene decay, X–Y arms races molded mammalian sex chromosomes and influenced the course of mammalian evolution.

Source: Genome Research - November 18, 2020 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Hughes, J. F., Skaletsky, H., Pyntikova, T., Koutseva, N., Raudsepp, T., Brown, L. G., Bellott, D. W., Cho, T.-J., Dugan-Rocha, S., Khan, Z., Kremitzki, C., Fronick, C., Graves-Lindsay, T. A., Fulton, L., Warren, W. C., Wilson, R. K., Owens, E., Womack, J Tags: RESEARCH Source Type: research