Inventing a sex-specific gene: a conserved role of DMRT1 in teleost fishes plus a recent duplication in the medaka Oryzias latipes resulted in DMY.
DMY, the first sex-determining gene to be described in a nonmammal vertebrate was recently characterized in the medaka fish (Oryzias latipes). It is homologous to DMRT1, a conserved gene of the sex determination cascade in vertebrates. We have checked the near complete genomes of two other percomorph fishes, Tetraodon nigroviridis and Takifugu rubripes, for supplementary homologs of DMRT1 and DMY. We also compared the new gene, DMY, to its homolog DMRT1 from all available vertebrates. Finally, we found evidence for sex-specific expression and alternative splicing of the homolog from T. nigroviridis. Our results show that DMY is a recent duplicate of DMRT1 in the medaka. Its role in sex determination was not acquired through an acceleration of evolutionary rates, but by translocation to the Y chromosome and possibly changes at key positions.
Lutfalla
Georges
G
Défenses Antivirales et Antitumorales, UMR CNRS 5124, 1919, Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, France.
Roest Crollius
Hugues
H
Brunet
Frédéric G
FG
Laudet
Vincent
V
Robinson-Rechavi
Marc
M
D017398:Alternative Splicing; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005260:Female; D029941:Fish Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D005399:Fishes / Q000235:genetics*; D020440:Gene Duplication; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009990:Oryzias / Q000235:genetics; D010053:Ovary / Q000502:physiology; D010802:Phylogeny; D017421:Sequence Analysis; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D019849:Sex Determination Processes; D013737:Testis / Q000502:physiology; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*; D014998:Y Chromosome
C110547:DMRT1 protein; D029941:Fish Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors