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Related Concept Videos

Dosage Compensation02:50

Dosage Compensation

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In animals, gender is determined by the number and type of sex chromosome. For example, human females have two X chromosomes, and males have one X and one Y chromosome, whereas C.elegans with one X chromosome is a male, and the one with two X chromosomes is a hermaphrodite.
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In most organisms, sex is determined by the ratio of X and Y chromosomes. However, in some organisms, such as Drosophila and C.elegans, sex is determined by the ratio of the number of X chromosomes to the number of sets of autosomes. The Y chromosome in Drosophila is active but does not determine sex. It contains genes responsible for the production of sperms in adult flies.  
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In most mammalian species, females have two X sex chromosomes and males have an X and Y. As a result, mutations on the X chromosome in females may be masked by the presence of a normal allele on the second X. In contrast, a mutation on the X chromosome in males more often causes observable biological defects, as there is no normal X to compensate. Trait variations arising from mutations on the X chromosome are called “X-linked”.
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Diploid organisms inherit genetic material through chromosomes from both parents. Copies of the same gene are known as alleles. In most cases, both alleles are simultaneously expressed and allow various cellular processes to function optimally. If one of the alleles is missing or mutated, the expression of the other allele can compensate; however, this is not true for all genes.
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Although the genetic makeup of an organism plays a major role in determining the phenotype, there are also several environmental factors, such as temperature, oxygen availability, presence of mutagens, that can alter an organism’s phenotype.
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A Novel Saturation Mutagenesis Approach: Single Step Characterization of Regulatory Protein Binding Sites in RNA Using Phosphorothioates
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Sex-Biased Gene Expression.

Sonja Grath1, John Parsch1

  • 1Department of Biology II, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 82152 Planegg, Germany; email: grath@bio.lmu.de , parsch@bio.lmu.de.

Annual Review of Genetics
|August 31, 2016
PubMed
Summary

Sex-biased gene expression is common across species, varying by tissue and developmental stage. Understanding its evolution involves considering factors like sexual selection and genetic differences between sexes.

Keywords:
dosage compensationepigeneticsevolutionsex chromosomessexual dimorphismtranscriptomics

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Area of Science:

  • Genomics
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Transcriptional profiling enables genome-wide gene expression comparisons between sexes.
  • Sex-biased gene expression is widespread but varies across tissues and developmental stages.
  • Sex chromosome processes like dosage compensation can influence sex-biased expression in species with genetic sex determination.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review current knowledge on sex-biased gene expression in diverse organisms.
  • To discuss biological and technical factors in analyzing sex-biased expression.
  • To explore evolutionary forces driving the evolution of sex-biased genes.

Main Methods:

  • Genome-wide transcriptional profiling.
  • Comparative genomics.
  • Literature review of existing studies.

Main Results:

  • Sex-biased genes, particularly male-biased ones, exhibit rapid divergence in sequence and expression between species.
  • Potential drivers of this divergence include sexual selection, sexual antagonism, and relaxed selection.
  • Analysis requires careful consideration of biological and technical variables.

Conclusions:

  • Sex-biased gene expression is a significant evolutionary phenomenon with complex underlying mechanisms.
  • Further research is needed to fully elucidate the evolutionary trajectories of sex-biased genes.
  • Integrating diverse analytical approaches will enhance understanding of sex-biased gene evolution.