Repeated co-option of HMG-box genes for sex determination in brown algae and animals
2024; American Association for the Advancement of Science; Volume: 383; Issue: 6689 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1126/science.adk5466
ISSN1095-9203
AutoresR. Luthringer, Morgane Raphalen, C Guerra, Sébastien Colin, Cláudia Martinho, Min Zheng, Masakazu Hoshino, Yacine Badis, Agnieszka P. Lipinska, Fabian B. Haas, Josué Barrera‐Redondo, Vikram Alva, Susana M. Coelho,
Tópico(s)Reproductive biology and impacts on aquatic species
ResumoIn many eukaryotes, genetic sex determination is not governed by XX/XY or ZW/ZZ systems but by a specialized region on the poorly studied U (female) or V (male) sex chromosomes. Previous studies have hinted at the existence of a dominant male-sex factor on the V chromosome in brown algae, a group of multicellular eukaryotes distantly related to animals and plants. The nature of this factor has remained elusive. Here, we demonstrate that an HMG-box gene acts as the male-determining factor in brown algae, mirroring the role HMG-box genes play in sex determination in animals. Over a billion-year evolutionary timeline, these lineages have independently co-opted the HMG box for male determination, representing a paradigm for evolution's ability to recurrently use the same genetic "toolkit" to accomplish similar tasks.
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