Madagascar Leaf-Tail Geckos (Uroplatus spp.) Share Independently Evolved Differentiated ZZ/ZW Sex Chromosomes.

ABSTRACT: Geckos are an excellent group to study the evolution of sex determination, as they possess a remarkable variability ranging from a complete absence of sex chromosomes to highly differentiated sex chromosomes. We explored sex determination in the Madagascar leaf-tail geckos of the genus Uroplatus. The cytogenetic analyses revealed highly heterochromatic W chromosomes in all three examined species (Uroplatus henkeli, U. alluaudi, U. sikorae). The comparative gene coverage analysis between sexes in U. henkeli uncovered an extensive Z-specific region, with a gene content shared with the chicken chromosomes 8, 20, 26 and 28. The genomic region homologous to chicken chromosome 28 has been independently co-opted for the role of sex chromosomes in

SUBMITTER: Pensabene E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9856856 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature