Sex-specific recombination rates in Parus major and P. caeruleus, an exception to Huxley's rule.
Huxley's rule predicts lower recombination rates in the heterogametic sex than in the homogametic one. The genotyping of Parus major and P. caeruleus families at 8 microsatellite and 4 enzyme loci yielded contradicting data. Significant genotypic disequilibrium was observed between esterase-1, esterase-2 and esterase-3 in adults of P. major and between esterase-2/esterase-3 and esterase-2/microsatellite PK-12 in P. caeruleus. Support comes from linkage analyses of nuclear families. In P. major, the recombination rate of esterase-2/esterase -3 in males is significantly lower than in females (theta(male) = 0.076, theta(female) = 0.145). The opposite is found for the recombination rates of esterase-1/esterase-2 and esterase-2/esterase-3 in P. caeruleus (EST-1/EST-2: theta(female) = 0.218, theta(male) = 0.5, EST-2/EST-3: theta(female) = 0.109, theta(male) = 0.194). We conclude that the basis of differences in recombination rates cannot be heterogamety, per se, but must have multiple genetic causes including chromosomal rearrangments that have evolved after the cladogenesis of the two species.
Stauss
Michael
M
University of Tübingen, Institute of Anthropology and Human Genetics, Tübingen, Germany.
Tomiuk
Jürgen
J
Segelbacher
Gernot
G
Driesel
Simon
S
Fietz
Joanna
J
Bachmann
Lutz
L
Kömpf
Jost
J
D000818:Animals; D004950:Esterases / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D008040:Genetic Linkage; D014644:Genetic Variation; D008297:Male; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats / Q000235:genetics; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D020308:Songbirds / Q000235:genetics*; D013045:Species Specificity
D004950:Esterases