Transposable Element-Mediated Cis-Regulation Drives the Evolution of dmrt1 as a Candidate Master Sex-Determining Gene in Black Carp.

ABSTRACT: Sex determination in vertebrates exhibits remarkable evolutionary plasticity, with diverse mechanisms and master sex-determining (MSD) genes arising independently across lineages. Among these, dmrt1, a dosage-sensitive gene, has repeatedly been recruited as an MSD gene through gene duplication or allelic diversification. However, the biochemical basis of such evolutionary transitions, particularly those driven by allelic diversification, remains largely unexplored. Here, we generated haplotype-resolved genome assemblies for both XX and XY black carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus) and identified a ∼40-kb region on chromosome 4, containing only dmrt1, as the candidate sex-determining locus. We discovered two Y-specific insertions in the dmrt1 promoter: a 13.4-kb highly repetitive element and an 11

SUBMITTER: Guo J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12512617 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature