title: Conserved synteny between the chicken Z sex chromosome and human chromosome 9 includes the male regulatory gene DMRT1: a comparative (re)view on avian sex determination.
abstract: Sex-determination mechanisms in birds and mammals evolved independently for more than 300 million years. Unlike mammals, sex determination in birds operates through a ZZ/ZW sex chromosome system, in which the female is the heterogametic sex. However, the molecular mechanism remains to be elucidated. Comparative gene mapping revealed that several genes on human chromosome 9 (HSA 9) have homologs on the chicken Z chromosome (GGA Z), indicating the common ancestry of large parts of GGA Z and HSA 9. Based on chromosome homology maps, we isolated a Z-linked chicken ortholog of DMRT1, which has been implicated in XY sex reversal in humans. Its location on the avian Z and within the sex-reversal region on HSA 9p suggests that DMRT1 represents an ancestral dosage-sensitive gene for vertebrate sex-determination. Z dosage may be crucial for male sexual differentiation/determination in birds.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Genetics, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nanda
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zend-Ajusch
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Shan
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Grützner
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schartl
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Burt
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koehler
authors.forename: V M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Fowler
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Goodwin
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mizuno
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dechant
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Haaf
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schmid
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens / Q000235:genetics*; D002899:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 9 / Q000235:genetics*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D017124:Conserved Sequence / Q000235:genetics*; D004303:Dosage Compensation, Genetic; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005260:Female; D018628:Gene Dosage; D005796:Genes / Q000235:genetics; D008040:Genetic Linkage / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D007621:Karyotyping; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D020161:Physical Chromosome Mapping; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012730:Sex Chromosomes / Q000235:genetics*; D019849:Sex Determination Processes; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: C110547:DMRT1 protein; D014157:Transcription Factors