1. Sex, Genes and Sequence
Sex chromosomes – most interesting part of genome
Origins, evolution, future of X and Y
Epigenetics and environmental sex
Origins, evolution of sex genes
Jenny Graves
LA Trobe University, ANU, U Canberra
2. Sex chromosomes are weird
X
1669 genes
Many different functions
Many sex, intelligence genes
Brains-and-balls genes
Y
Only 27 genes specific to Y
Many copies, pseudogenes
Male-specific functions
Sex and spermatogenesis
PAR
Shared by X and Y
Contains 24 genes
Smart,
Sexy X
Wimpy Y
3. • Problems at meiosis
• Dosage problems
• Sex-linked diseases
• Sex-reversal syndromes
Why so weird?
• so they work optimally?
• evolutionary accident?
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
X Y
Dumb
Sex chromosomes –> trouble
• the Y self-destructs!
4. X Y
proto-XY
XY evolution
Once the X and Y were an ordinary pair
One partner acquires a male-determining gene
Other male-advantage genes accumulate
- recombination suppressed
Y degraded by deletion, mutation
And degraded and degraded
And can even disappear
The Y is a degraded X
Evidence: XY homology; independent Y dropouts
5. Self-destruction of the Y
High variation
• frequent mutation, deletion, insertion
in testis
Inefficient selection and drift
• no recombination, no repair
Rate of loss is ~10 genes/MY
Y will self-destruct in 4.6 mY
6. How the Y chromosome determines sex
female male
X X X Y
TDF
testis
hormones
=SRY
7. Y genes are degraded X genes
TSPY
Spermatogenesis?
RBMY
Spermatogenesis
Y
SRY
Sex determination
RBMX
Mental retardation?
X
SOX3
Mental retardation
spermatogenesis
TSPX
Cell cycle?
Most Y genes have copies on X
Brains-and-balls genes –> sex and fertility genes
X-Y shared dosage-sensitive genes in added region
13. XY and ZW chromosomes
follow the same evolutionary rules
X Y W Z
humans
mice
kangaroos
ratite birds
carinate birds
14. male female
Z Z Z W
What is the bird sex-determining gene?
No SRY
Dose-dependent sex determination
DMRT1 on Z but not W
Need two doses to make enough male-determining product
Knockdown –> ZZ female
15. Platypus sex chromosomes
X1 Y1 X2 Y2 X3 Y3 X4 Y4 X5 Y5
Female: 26 pairsMale: 21 pairs + 10
Homology to chick ZW
No homology to human XY
No SRY
AMH Sex determining?
17. XY and ZW chromosomes
follow the same evolutionary rules
X Y W Z
humans
mice
kangaroos
ratite birds
carinate birds
boid snakes
colubrid snakes
vipers
18. Snake sex chromosomes
Vicoso et al, PLoS Biol 2013
Coverage for male ZZ (blue) and female ZW (red)
Assembled against Anolis macrochromosomes 1-6
Conserved Z
Boids show no ZW differentiation
Colubrids and viperids show extreme ZW differentiation
Snakes are ZZ male / ZW female
Snake Z = chicken 2
19. SOX3
4
2
5
TSD turtle Birds Platypus Kangaroo HumanSnakes
1
DMRT1
SOX3
4
ZW
2
1
DMRT1
SOX3
SRY
X Y
4
3,7,10
SOX3
SRY
X Y
5
1
3
SOX3
6
15, 18
DMRT1
X Y X Y X Y X Y X Y
?
DMRT1
SOX3
4
2
ZW
1
Different genome regions became sex
chromosomes in different vertebrates
20. Sex in frogs
Yoshimoto & Ito, FEBS J 2011
Conclude DMW inhibits DMRT1
2 DMRT1 –> male
2 DMRT1 + DMW –> female
DMW defines new W
Xenopus laevis has ZZ / ZW
Found DMRT1 homologue on W
DMW knockdown –> ZW males
ZW=XY=human Xq
SOX3 is sex determining
Rana rugosa has ZZ / ZW and XY / XX
Miura et al 2010
21. Sex in Fish
Linkage analysis –> chr 1=XY
Y Positional cloning –>DMRT1 copy
XX female XX+DMY male XY male
Transgenic DMY –> XX male
Matsuda et al, Nature 2002; PNAS 2007
soma testis
Conclude:
2 DMRT1 female
2 DMRT1 + DMY male
DMY defines a new Y
Medaka Oryzias latipes
22. MALE FEMALE
Z Z
X Y
Z Z
Z W
X X
Z W
A A
A A
A A
A A
Neo-Y
Neo-W
Origin of new sex genes?
from copy
from inactive copy
23. Sex in other medaka species
O. latipes LG1 DMY
O. curvinotos LG1 DMY
=> Change in expression level or timing
O. dancera LG10 ?
Oda (XY=LG10)
Sox3 on X, Y –> same protein
Overexpression of Sox3 –>male
Olu ( XY=LG12)
Gsdf on X, Y–>same protein
Overexpression of GsdfY –>male
O. luzonensis LG12 ?
Ope (XY=LG12)
Gsdf on X, Y–>same protein
Early expression of GsdfbY –>male
O. pectoralis LG12 ?
24. A A
A A
X Y
X Y
A A
A A
Z W
Z W
Overexpression of one allele
MALE FEMALE
testis ovary
New sex genes from expression change
testis ovary
Change in timing or tissue of expression
25. Ectopic expression in testis
–>XX males
SOX3
active in brain, germ-cells
Evolution of SRY
Fusion
expression in gonad
SRY
testis determination
New function
Sato et al Mol Cell Biol 2010; Sutton et al J Clin Invest 2011
26. Mammals
Amniotes
Tetrapods
Fish
Amphibians
Reptiles and birds Monotremes Marsupials Placentals
450
410
310
166
148
XYXYTSD,XY,ZW
XY ZW
XYXYXYXYXY
Independent recruitment of sex genes
M
Y
DMY
O. latipes
DMW
X. laevis
DMRT1
birds
SRY
SOX3
SOX3
R. rugosa
SOX3
O. dancera
AMH
sea bass
AMH?
DMRT1
tongue sole
Mammals
28. Dragon lizard Pogona vitticeps
%males
Temperature –>
50
0
GSD TSD
Identification of ZW by CGH
W
Quinn et al
Science ‘07
A dragon with ZW and TSD
GSD–> TSD
ZW –> XY
29. male female
Z Z Z W
Normal
temperature
female female
Z Z Z W
High
temperature
Sex in dragons
Finding dragon sex determining gene….
dose-dependent
and temperature
-dependent
Microdissected W, screened for W BACs
Sequenced W BAC –> RCC1, OPRD1, syntenic with RSPO1…
Sequenced ZZ male, ZW female, ZZ female at BGI
30. ZZ ZW ZW
male female pseudomale
dmrt1 dmrt1 dmrt1
Epigenetic sex determination
Half smooth tongue sole
Chen et al Nature, Shao et al Genome Res
AUTOSOMES SEX CHROMOSOMES
methylation
31. Conclusions
Vertebrate genome is very conserved
Different genome regions became sex chromosomes
New sex genes evolve, often from same autosomal gene
Sex chromosomes specialize, then self-destruct
Sex can be determined or modified by environment