The mouse Y* chromosome involves a complex rearrangement, including interstitial positioning of the pseudoautosomal region.
Cytological analysis of the mouse Y* chromosome revealed a complex rearrangement involving acquisition of a functional centromere and centromeric heterochromatin and attachment of this chromosomal segment to the distal end of a normal Y* chromosome. This rearrangement positioned the Y* short-arm region at the distal end of the Y* chromosome and the pseudoautosomal region interstitially, just distal to the newly acquired centromere. In addition, the majority of the pseudoautosomal region was inverted. Recombination between the X and the Y* chromosomes generates two new sex chromosomes: (1) a large chromosome comprised of the X chromosome attached at its distal end to all of the Y* chromosome but missing the centromeric region (XY*) and (2) a small chromosome containing the centromeric portion of the Y* chromosome attached to G-band-negative material from the X chromosome (YX). Mice that inherit the XY* chromosome develop as sterile males, whereas mice that inherit the Y*X chromosome develop as fertile females. Recovery of equal numbers of recombinant and nonrecombinant offspring from XY* males supports the hypothesis that recombination between the mammalian X and Y chromosomes is necessary for primary spermatocytes to successfully complete spermatogenesis and form functional sperm.
Eicher
E M
EM
Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME 04609.
Hale
D W
DW
Hunt
P A
PA
Lee
B K
BK
Tucker
P K
PK
King
T R
TR
Eppig
J T
JT
Washburn
L L
LL
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D002503:Centromere; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility / Q000235:genetics; D005453:Fluorescence; D006570:Heterochromatin; D007621:Karyotyping; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D008938:Mitosis / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D011995:Recombination, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D012729:Sex Chromosome Aberrations / Q000235:genetics*; D014960:X Chromosome; D014998:Y Chromosome
D006570:Heterochromatin