X chromosome key to sperm production
Large portions of the X chromosome — long perceived as the “female” counterpart to the male-associated Y chromosome, have evolv-ed to play a specialised role in sperm production, a new study claims.
New analysis of the genetic sequence of the X chromosome reveals that despite its reputation as the most stable chromosome of the genome, the X has actually been undergoing relatively swift change. “We view this as the double life of the X chromosome,” said Whitehead Institute director David Page, whose lab conducted this new study. “The X is the most famous, most intensely studied chromosome in all of human genetics. And the story of the X has been the story of X-linked recessive diseases, such as colour blindness, hemophilia, and Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy,” Page said.
“But there’s another side to the X, a side that is rapidly evolving and seems to be attuned to the reproductive needs of males,” he said.
Researchers embarked on a rigorous comparison of the mouse and human X chromosomes, in part to test the longstanding biological tenet that the gene content of X chromosomes is conserved and shared across mammals, Phys.Org reported. Page and colleagues devised what is known as (single-haplotype iterative mapping and sequen-cing) to establish a definitive reference DNA sequence of the Y chromosome. The lab greatly improved the human X reference sequence, accurately assembling three large amplicons.
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