In:
BMC Biology, Springer Science and Business Media LLC, Vol. 21, No. 1 ( 2023-02-13)
Abstract:
Sex determination occurs across animal species, but most of our knowledge about its mechanisms comes from only a handful of bilaterian taxa. This limits our ability to infer the evolutionary history of sex determination within animals. Results In this study, we generated a linkage map of the genome of the colonial cnidarian Hydractinia symbiolongicarpus and used it to demonstrate that this species has an XX/XY sex determination system. We demonstrate that the X and Y chromosomes have pseudoautosomal and non-recombining regions. We then use the linkage map and a method based on the depth of sequencing coverage to identify genes encoded in the non-recombining region and show that many of them have male gonad-specific expression. In addition, we demonstrate that recombination rates are enhanced in the female genome and that the haploid chromosome number in Hydractinia is n = 15. Conclusions These findings establish Hydractinia as a tractable non-bilaterian model system for the study of sex determination and the evolution of sex chromosomes.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
1741-7007
DOI:
10.1186/s12915-023-01532-2
Language:
English
Publisher:
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Publication Date:
2023
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2133020-7
SSG:
12
