Sex Reversal: A Fountain of Youth for Sex Chromosomes?

Perrin, Nicolas

doi:10.1111/j.1558-5646.2009.00837.x

Cited by 224 publications

(265 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…Even families with significant f 2 values presented some mismatches between phenotypic sex and paternal LG 2 haplotypes, suggesting frequent occurrence of 'sex-reversed' XX males and XY females. If the latter reproduce, the ensuing XY recombination should be sufficient to prevent XY differentiation (the 'fountain of youth' [12]) and probably contributes to the complete overlap in allelic frequencies at the population level ( figure 2). This situation is highly reminiscent of the Swiss populations investigated by Rodrigues et al [24], which also displayed a large variance among families in the association between offspring sex and paternal LG 2 haplotype, together with a Figure 4.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[9]). These two processes are non-exclusive [10,11], both being possibly mediated by occasional events of sex reversal induced by environmental interactions [12,13]. In amphibians, all species investigated so far present a genetic component to sex determination (as supported by co-segregation of sex with genetic markers; reviewed in [14]), sometimes with temperature effects, but cytogenetically differentiated sex chromosomes occur in less than 4% of species [14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sex-chromosome differentiation and ‘sex races’ in the common frog ( Rana temporaria )

et al. 2015

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Sex-chromosome differentiation was recently shown to vary among common frog populations in Fennoscandia, suggesting a trend of increased differentiation with latitude. By rearing families from two contrasted populations (respectively, from northern and southern Sweden), we show this disparity to stem from differences in sex-determination mechanisms rather than in XY-recombination patterns. Offspring from the northern population display equal sex ratios at metamorphosis, with phenotypic sexes that correlate strongly with paternal LG 2 haplotypes (the sex chromosome); accordingly, Y haplotypes are markedly differentiated, with male-specific alleles and depressed diversity testifying to their smaller effective population size. In the southern population, by contrast, a majority of juveniles present ovaries at metamorphosis; only later in development do sex ratios return to equilibrium. Even at these later stages, phenotypic sexes correlate only mildly with paternal LG 2 haplotypes; accordingly, there are no recognizable Y haplotypes. These distinct patterns of gonadal development fit the concept of 'sex races' proposed in the 1930s, with our two populations assigned to the 'differentiated' and 'semi-differentiated' races, respectively. Our results support the suggestion that 'sex races' differ in the genetic versus epigenetic components of sex determination. Analysing populations from the 'undifferentiated race' with high-density genetic maps should help to further test this hypothesis.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex-chromosome differentiation and ‘sex races’ in the common frog ( Rana temporaria )

et al. 2015

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“…Another promising approach may be to look for HR in groups that regularly or occasionally undergo sex change, such as some Teleostei (Pandian and Sheela, 1995), or that can be artificially induced to change sex (certain Amphibia; Wallace et al, 1999). Perrin (2009) realized that sex reversal may halt the differentiation of sex chromosomes following the cessation of recombination in the heterogametic sex. This could also delay the accumulation of antagonistic and sex-specifically expressed genes on the sex chromosomes and predicts smaller roles for faster-male and faster-X in causing HR in taxa undergoing sex reversal.…”

Section: Hr In a Comparative Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Haldane's rule in the 21st century

2011

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Haldane's Rule (HR), which states that 'when in the offspring of two different animal races one sex is absent, rare, or sterile, that sex is the heterozygous (heterogametic) sex', is one of the most general patterns in speciation biology. We review the literature of the past 15 years and find that among the B85 new studies, many consider taxa that traditionally have not been the focus for HR investigations. The new studies increased to nine, the number of 'phylogenetically independent' groups that comply with HR. They continue to support the dominance and faster-male theories as explanations for HR, although due to increased reliance on indirect data (from, for example, differential introgression of cytoplasmic versus chromosomal loci in natural hybrid zones) unambiguous novel results are rare. We further highlight how research on organisms with sex determination systems different from those traditionally considered may lead to more insight in the underlying causes of HR. In particular, haplodiploid organisms provide opportunities for testing specific predictions of the dominance and faster X chromosome theory, and we present new data that show that the faster-male component of HR is supported in hermaphrodites, suggesting that genes involved in male function may evolve faster than those expressed in the female function.

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“…However, for a long time, evolutionary stability of sex chromosomes was only documented by molecular data in endotherms (i.e. in viviparous mammals and birds), which led some authors to conclude that the stability versus non-stability of sex chromosomes corresponds to thermal strategies [4]. Nevertheless, cytogenetic data suggest that significant conservation in sex chromosomes can also be widespread in many lineages of ectothermic amniotes [2,3], but molecular data demonstrating the conservation of sex chromosomes comparable with endotherms in both time and taxonomical scale has been presented only recently and to date just for a single group of ectothermic amniotes (in iguanas) [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolutionary stability of sex chromosomes in snakes

et al. 2015

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Amniote vertebrates possess various mechanisms of sex determination, but their variability is not equally distributed. The large evolutionary stability of sex chromosomes in viviparous mammals and birds was believed to be connected with their endothermy. However, some ectotherm lineages seem to be comparably conserved in sex determination, but previously there was a lack of molecular evidence to confirm this. Here, we document a stability of sex chromosomes in advanced snakes based on the testing of Z-specificity of genes using quantitative PCR (qPCR) across 37 snake species (our qPCR technique is suitable for molecular sexing in potentially all advanced snakes). We discovered that at least part of sex chromosomes is homologous across all families of caenophidian snakes (Acrochordidae, Xenodermatidae, Pareatidae, Viperidae, Homalopsidae, Colubridae, Elapidae and Lamprophiidae). The emergence of differentiated sex chromosomes can be dated back to about 60 Ma and preceded the extensive diversification of advanced snakes, the group with more than 3000 species. The Z-specific genes of caenophidian snakes are (pseudo)autosomal in the members of the snake families Pythonidae, Xenopeltidae, Boidae, Erycidae and Sanziniidae, as well as in outgroups with differentiated sex chromosomes such as monitor lizards, iguanas and chameleons. Along with iguanas, advanced snakes are therefore another example of ectothermic amniotes with a long-term stability of sex chromosomes comparable with endotherms.

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Sex Reversal: A Fountain of Youth for Sex Chromosomes?

Cited by 224 publications

References 70 publications

Sex-chromosome differentiation and ‘sex races’ in the common frog ( Rana temporaria )

Sex-chromosome differentiation and ‘sex races’ in the common frog ( Rana temporaria )

Haldane's rule in the 21st century

Evolutionary stability of sex chromosomes in snakes

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