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1: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2000 May 9;97(10):5307-12.
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Novel gene conversion between X-Y homologues located in the nonrecombining region of the Y chromosome in Felidae (Mammalia).

Pecon Slattery J, Sanner-Wachter L, O'Brien SJ.

Laboratory of Genomic Diversity, National Cancer Institute, Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center, Frederick, MD 21702, USA. Slattery@mail.ncifcrf.gov

Genes located on the mammalian Y chromosome outside of the pseudoautosomal region do not recombine with those on the X and are predicted to either undergo selection for male function or gradually degenerate because of an accumulation of deleterious mutations. Here, phylogenetic analyses of X-Y homologues, Zfx and Zfy, among 26 felid species indicate two ancestral episodes of directed genetic exchange (ectopic gene conversion) from X to Y: once during the evolution of pallas cat and once in a common predecessor of ocelot lineage species. Replacement of the more rapidly evolving Y homologue with the evolutionarily constrained X copy may represent a mechanism for adaptive editing of functional genes on the nonrecombining region of the mammalian Y chromosome.

PMID: 10805789 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

PMCID: PMC25824