Lack of age-related mosaic loss of W chromosome in long-lived birds.
Biol Lett
; 18(2): 20210553, 2022 02.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-35193370
ABSTRACT
Females and males often exhibit different survival in nature, and it has been hypothesized that sex chromosomes may play a role in driving differential survival rates. For instance, the Y chromosome in mammals and the W chromosome in birds are often degenerated, with reduced numbers of genes, and loss of the Y chromosome in old men is associated with shorter life expectancy. However, mosaic loss of sex chromosomes has not been investigated in any non-human species. Here, we tested whether mosaic loss of the W chromosome (LOW) occurs with ageing in wild birds as a natural consequence of cellular senescence. Using loci-specific PCR and a target sequencing approach we estimated LOW in both young and adult individuals of two long-lived bird species and showed that the copy number of W chromosomes remains constant across age groups. Our results suggest that LOW is not a consequence of cellular ageing in birds. We concluded that the inheritance of the W chromosome in birds, unlike the Y chromosome in mammals, is more stable.
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Texto completo:
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Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Evolução Molecular
/
Cromossomos Humanos Y
Limite:
Animals
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Female
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Humans
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Male
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Biol Lett
Ano de publicação:
2022
Tipo de documento:
Article