Lack of global dosage compensation in Schistosoma mansoni, a female-heterogametic parasite.

ABSTRACT: Many species have morphologically and genetically differentiated sex chromosomes, such as the XY pair of mammals. Y chromosomes are often highly degenerated and carry few functional genes, so that XY males have only one copy of most X-linked genes (whereas females have two). As a result, chromosome-wide mechanisms of dosage compensation, such as the mammalian X-inactivation, often evolve to reestablish expression balance. A similar phenomenon is expected in female-heterogametic species, where ZW females should suffer from imbalances due to W-chromosome degeneration. However, no global dosage compensation mechanisms have been detected in the two independent ZW systems that have been studied systematically (birds and silkworm), leading to the suggestion that lack of global dosage compensatio

SUBMITTER: Vicoso B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3068002 | biostudies-literature | 2011

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature