Widespread Recombination Suppression Facilitates Plant Sex Chromosome Evolution.

ABSTRACT: Classical models suggest that recombination rates on sex chromosomes evolve in a stepwise manner to localize sexually antagonistic variants in the sex in which they are beneficial, thereby lowering rates of recombination between X and Y chromosomes. However, it is also possible that sex chromosome formation occurs in regions with preexisting recombination suppression. To evaluate these possibilities, we constructed linkage maps and a chromosome-scale genome assembly for the dioecious plant Rumex hastatulus. This species has a polymorphic karyotype with a young neo-sex chromosome, resulting from a Robertsonian fusion between the X chromosome and an autosome, in part of its geographic range. We identified the shared and neo-sex chromosomes using comparative genetic maps of the two cytotypes.

SUBMITTER: Rifkin JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7947811 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature