Abstract
The highly heteromorphic mammalian X and Y chromosomes are thought to have evolved from a homologous chromosome pair (Ohno 1967). Consequently, homoeologous segments may still exist on the highly differentiated mammalian sex chromosomes representing a relic of such an ancestral pair of autosomes. This evolutionary process would provide the basis for the bipartite structure of the eutherian Y chromosome: the still homologous pairing segment is shared and recombines between the X and Y chromosome, and thus could ensure the proper segregation of the sex chromosomes during male meiosis, while the Y-specific region, including the testis-determining factor gene(s) must avoid recombination, otherwise the chromosomal basis of sex determination would break down.
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© 1993 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
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Schempp, W., Toder, R. (1993). Evolution of the mammalian XY pairing segment. In: Chromosomes Today. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1510-0_21
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1510-0_21
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