Identification and patterns of synapsis of the autosomally translocated Y-chromosome of the Indian mongoose, Herpestes auropunctatus (Hodgson).
The multiple sex chromosome system, X1X2Y male/X1X1X2X2 female, in the small Indian mongoose, Herpestes auropunctatus, results from a translocation of a part of Y chromosome to an autosome. It is not possible to distinguish the autosome which harbours the Y chromosome element in the somatic complement. By employing the surface-spreading technique to prophase I meiocytes we have identified the region to which the Y chromosome has been translocated as the short arm of chromosome 9 which is a subtelocentric chromosome. This Y chromosome component lacks heterochromatin and no sex vesicle is organised during meiotic prophase. This suggests to us that Y heterochromatin in mammals may be required for the production of a sex vesicle.
D000818:Animals; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000502:physiology; D002335:Carnivora / Q000235:genetics*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005260:Female; D008988:Herpestidae / Q000235:genetics*; D007621:Karyotyping; D008297:Male; D008540:Meiosis; D008677:Metaphase; D012730:Sex Chromosomes / Q000502:physiology*; D014178:Translocation, Genetic; D014960:X Chromosome / Q000502:physiology; D014998:Y Chromosome / Q000502:physiology*