The mouse A/HeJ Y chromosome: another good Y gone bad.
In both humans and mice there are numerous reports of Y chromosome abnormalities that interfere with sex determination. Recent studies in the mouse of one such mutation have identified Y chromosome nondisjunction during preimplantation development as the cause of abnormal testis determination that results in a high frequency of true hermaphroditism. We report here that the mouse Y chromosome from the A/HeJ inbred strain induces similar aberrations in sex determination. Our analyses provide evidence, however, that the mechanism underlying these aberrations is not Y chromosome nondisjunction. On the basis of our findings, we postulate that a mutation at or near the centromere affects both the segregation and sex-determining properties of the A/HeJ Y chromosome. This Y chromosome adds to the growing list of Y chromosome aberrations in humans and mice. In both species, the centromere of the Y is structurally and morphologically distinct from the centromeres of all other chromosomes. We conclude that these centromeric features make the human and mouse Y chromosomes extremely sensitive to minor structural alterations, and that our studies provide yet another example of a good Y chromosome gone 'bad.'
Hunt
Patricia A
PA
School of Molecular Biosciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164-4660, USA. pathunt@wsu.edu
Jackson
Jodi M
JM
Horan
Sonia
S
Lawson
Crystal A
CA
Grindell
Laura
L
Washburn
Linda L
LL
Eicher
Eva M
EM
D000818:Animals; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D002503:Centromere / Q000378:metabolism; D020090:Chromosome Segregation; D033481:Chromosomes, Mammalian / Q000235:genetics*; D012734:Disorders of Sex Development; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000378:metabolism; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology; D016678:Genome / Q000235:genetics; D008099:Liver / Q000166:cytology; D008297:Male; D008540:Meiosis; D051379:Mice / Q000235:genetics*; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008938:Mitosis; D009630:Nondisjunction, Genetic; D011003:Ploidies; D012733:Sex Differentiation; D013737:Testis / Q000166:cytology; D014998:Y Chromosome / Q000235:genetics*