echemi logo
Product
  • Product
  • Supplier
  • Inquiry
    Home > Biochemistry News > Biotechnology News > The function of sea turtle sex chromosomes: how evolution solves chromosome imbalance

    The function of sea turtle sex chromosomes: how evolution solves chromosome imbalance

    • Last Update: 2021-07-30
    • Source: Internet
    • Author: User
    Search more information of high quality chemicals, good prices and reliable suppliers, visit www.echemi.com

    This research focuses on a species of soft-shelled turtle, but the results may help clarify important evolutionary processes in many species.
    Nicole Valenzue, professor of ecology, evolution, and organism biology, and lead author of the study Said Nicole Valenzuela
    .

    The sex of many organisms is determined by a pair of special chromosomes, which exist in almost every cell of the organism
    .


    A pair of matched chromosomes will produce one sex, and a pair of unmatched chromosomes will produce another sex


    The focus of this research is on a soft-shelled turtle called Apalone spinifera, which is one of the largest freshwater turtles and lives in most parts of North America, including Iowa
    .


    But this research can also help scientists understand this process in other organisms


    Valenzuela said: "Understanding the diversity of SCDC mechanisms in nature, how they occur and evolve, helps to understand more widely how animals and humans compensate for gene dose imbalances, and why failure to properly compensate for these differences can lead to disease states
    .


    "

    The research was published this week in the peer-reviewed scientific journal "Journal of Philosophy B of the Royal Society
    .


    "

    What is sex chromosome dose compensation?

    Sex chromosome dose compensation works for individuals with mismatched sex chromosomes
    .


    In this study, the sex chromosomes of soft-shelled turtles are called Z and W, and the female chromosomes of this species are mismatched, or ZW


    The Z chromosome contains instructions for some proteins that a normal functional cell should produce, and only one copy of a chromosome will reduce the number of proteins produced, because the production of proteins is often affected by the number of gene copies
    .


    More replication means more protein production


    Valenzuela and her co-authors took samples at different stages of soft-shell turtle development, including embryos, juveniles, and adult turtles, and analyzed various tissues to determine which genes were activated
    .


    The researchers then compared the gene activity of sex chromosomes and autosomes, which are broken down by male and female turtles


    This study is not only the first to analyze the dose compensation of sea turtle sex chromosomes, but the results also show that temperature seems to significantly affect the SCDC process of sea turtles
    .


    In previous studies, Valenzuela studied temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD), which is the effect of environmental temperature on the development of male or female turtle embryos in species lacking sex chromosomes


    The study found that in the early embryonic development process, the Zs activity of both males and females of the soft-shelled turtles doubled, which repaired the imbalance of ZW females' expression (the doubled Z expression now matches the autosomal expression)
    .


    But the same reaction created an imbalance in men (Z expression now doubles autosomal expression)


    This article is an English version of an article which is originally in the Chinese language on echemi.com and is provided for information purposes only. This website makes no representation or warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness ownership or reliability of the article or any translations thereof. If you have any concerns or complaints relating to the article, please send an email, providing a detailed description of the concern or complaint, to service@echemi.com. A staff member will contact you within 5 working days. Once verified, infringing content will be removed immediately.

    Contact Us

    The source of this page with content of products and services is from Internet, which doesn't represent ECHEMI's opinion. If you have any queries, please write to service@echemi.com. It will be replied within 5 days.

    Moreover, if you find any instances of plagiarism from the page, please send email to service@echemi.com with relevant evidence.