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Media type:
E-Article
Title:
How Y Chromosomes Became Genetically Inert
Contributor:
Steinemann, Manfred;
Steinemann, Sigrid;
Lottspeich, Friedrich
Published:
National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 1993
Published in:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 90 (1993) 12, Seite 5737-5741
Language:
English
ISSN:
0027-8424
Origination:
Footnote:
Description:
We have investigated the mechanistic aspects of inactivation of the major larval cuticle protein genes (Lcp1-4) in Drosophila miranda during Y chromosome evolution. The Lcp genes are located on the X2 and neo-Y chromosomes in D. miranda but are autosomally inherited in all other Drosophila species investigated so far. In the neo-Y chromosome all four Lcp loci are embedded within a dense cluster of transposable elements. The X2 Lcp1-4 loci are expressed, while the Y chromosomal Lcp3 locus shows only reduced activity and the Lcp1, Lcp2, and Lcp4 are completely inactive. Our results suggest that Lcp1 and Lcp3 loci on the degenerating Y chromosome of D. miranda are silenced by neighboring transposable elements. These observations support our assumption that the first step in Y chromosome degeneration is the successive silencing of Y chromosomal loci caused by trapping and accumulation of transposons.