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Inefficient purifying selection: the mammalian Y chromosome in the rodent genus Mus

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Abstract

Two related genes with potentially similar functions, one on the Y chromosome and one on the X chromosome, were examined to determine if they evolved differently because of their chromosomal positions. Six hundred fifty-seven base pairs of coding sequence of Jarid1d (Smcy) on the Y chromosome and Jarid1c (Smcx) on the X chromosome were sequenced in 13 rodent taxa. An analysis of replacement and silent substitutions, using a counting method designed for samples with small evolutionary distances, showed a significant difference between the two genes. The different patterns of replacement and silent substitutions within Jarid1d and Jarid1c may be a result of evolutionary mechanisms that are particularly strong on the Y chromosome because of its unique properties. These findings are similar to results of previous studies of Y chromosomal genes in these and other mammalian taxa, suggesting that genes on the mammalian Y evolve in a chromosome-specific manner.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Jianzhi Zhang for his comments on an earlier draft of this work. This work was supported by NIH grant EY12994 and NSF grant DEB9209950.

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  1. Sara A. Sandstedt

    Present address: Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan, 109 Observatory, Rm 2010 School of Public Health Building I, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109, USA

    Sara A. Sandstedt & Priscilla K. Tucker

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  1. Sara A. Sandstedt
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  2. Priscilla K. Tucker
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Correspondence to Sara A. Sandstedt.

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Sandstedt, S.A., Tucker, P.K. Inefficient purifying selection: the mammalian Y chromosome in the rodent genus Mus. Mamm Genome 17, 14–21 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00335-005-0050-y

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