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Compact but Complex – The Marsupial Y Chromosome

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Marsupial Genetics and Genomics

Abstract

The mammalian Y chromosome is a gene poor element with enormous responsibility. Just how the mammalian Y chromosome acquired the function of sex determination, then surrendered most of its other functions, remains one of the most intriguing questions in genomics. The basic marsupial Y chromosome represents a degraded relic of the original mammalian Y, which did not receive the large autosomal addition that augmented the X and Y of eutherian mammals. Like the Y of other mammals, the marsupial Y contains species-specific repetitive sequences. It also bears an interesting mixture of genes; ancient male-specific genes, such as SRY and RBMY, which evolved from X-borne genes before the eutherian-marsupial divergence, and are conserved across therian mammals. The marsupial Y also bears novel genes such as ATRY, that in eutherian mammals have been lost from the Y but maintain a copy on the X. The unique properties of the marsupial Y chromosome have provided insights into the evolution of the mammalian Y, enabling us to gain a better understanding of the selection processes that shaped it.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Evolution, Ecology and Genetics, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 0200, Australia

    Veronica J. Murtagh & Paul D. Waters

  2. ARC Centre of Excellence for Kangaroo Genomics, Evolution, Ecology and Genetics, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 0200, Australia

    Jennifer A. Marshall Graves

Authors
  1. Veronica J. Murtagh
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  2. Paul D. Waters
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  3. Jennifer A. Marshall Graves
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Veronica J. Murtagh .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Ecology, Evolution&Genetics, The Austral, ARC Centre for Excellence for Kangaroo G, Research School of Biology, building 46, Canberra ACT, 0200, Australia

    Janine E. Deakin

  2. , Ecology, Evolution&Genetics, The Austral, ARC Centre for Excellence for Kangaroo G, Research School of Biology, building 46, Canberra ACT, 0200, Australia

    Paul D. Waters

  3. , Ecology, Evolution and Genetics, ARC Centre of Excellence for Kangaroo Ge, Buidling 46, Canberra ACT, 0200, Australia

    Jennifer A. Marshall Graves

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Murtagh, V.J., Waters, P.D., Marshall Graves, J.A. (2010). Compact but Complex – The Marsupial Y Chromosome. In: Deakin, J., Waters, P., Marshall Graves, J. (eds) Marsupial Genetics and Genomics. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9023-2_11

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