年青性染色体及鉴定方法

性染色体进化及性别决定机制是脊椎动物进化研究的热点,近些年更是提出了性别组学的概念。脊椎动物各类群的性别决定机制呈现出多种形式,尤其是具有年青性染色体系统的类群的演化模式更为多样。由于年青性染色体在核型形态上差异不大,传统的研究方法难以识别,因此本文从细胞遗传学方法、性染色体上的DNA序列/RNA序列及其表达、蛋白质表达等多个维度阐述了年青性染色体和性别决定系统的鉴定方法。在高通量测序技术的基础上结合基因组学、蛋白质组学和代谢组学对性别决定系统进行更深层次的研究,从而形成性别组学,并最终解答性别决定的方式多样性及其背后的进化动力和分子途径。     

低等脊椎动物的性别

低等动物的一些类群是不存在性别的,为单亲遗 传。性别也是进化的产物。低等脊推动物的性决定、 性分化和性比三方面都有不同于其他脊推动物的特殊 之处。近十几年的研究发现,鱼类、两栖类、爬行类等 低等脊椎动物,存在两种性决定机制,即性染色体和孵 化温度决定性别。     

环境决定爬行动物性别研究的进展

爬行动物的性别决定机制有两种,一种是由环境决定性别,另一种是异型性染色体决定性别。前者,在爬行动物中具有普遍性;未发现有异型性染色体的爬行动物,其性别由环境因子决定。剧烈的环境条件,可能压倒基因型性别决定。H-Y抗原,可检测未发现异型性染色体决定性别物种的遗传决定型。     

青鳉(Oryzias latipes)smad3的克隆与表达分析

鱼类性染色体的原始性导致性别决定基因的多样性.高等动物中的单个基因,在鱼类中因为基因组复制而产生多个同源基因,呈遗传多样性.TGF-β家族在硬骨鱼性别决定和性别分化的过程中发挥关键作用.smad3是性腺体细胞衍生因子(gsdf)的下游基因,可将TGF-β信号从细胞表面传递至细胞核.本研究从青鳉精巢和卵巢组织cDNA中克隆了smad3a、smad3b基因的CDS全长序列.蛋白序列的同源性比对和系统发生分析显示,smad3在高等脊椎动物中只有一种,而在鱼类却有两种.RT和定量PCR分析结果显示,smad3在多组织中普遍表达,在精巢中表达高于卵巢.青鳉smad3a和smad3b的表达同性腺分化紧密关联,提示其在性腺雌雄性分化和发育中可能具有重要作用.     

鱼类性别决定的影响因素

鱼类的性别决定机制极其复杂,受到外源性激素、外界环境因素和遗传因素等多方面的影响。因此,鱼类性别决定机制的研究不仅对我们控制鱼类的性别有帮助,也将使我们对脊椎动物性别决定的可塑性有一个全面的了解。该文对影响鱼类性别决定的各种因素及其研究前景和发展趋势进行综述。     

具有内含子的大鳞副泥鳅Sox8基因

鱼类在脊椎动物系统进化过程中起着承先启后的作用,其性别决定具有原始性、多样性和可塑性。深入研究鱼类的性别决定和分化具有重大的理论意义。Sox基因家族是九十年代发现的一个新的基因家族,其中的许多成员都与性别决定和分化具有直接的关系。大鳞副泥鳅是一种常见的小型鱼类,属于鲤形目鳅科,是少数具有异形性染色体中的一种。本文根据已发表的Sox蛋白质的序列资料,选择在不同物种中保守程度最高的区段设计兼板,在扩增产物中有三条主带,其大小分别为220bp550 bp和1500bp,另有一条相当弱的带,大小为700bp（Fig.1)。雌雄个体中扩增结果一致。经克隆和DNA序列分析,从550bp扩增带中得到一新的基因片段,长500bp,编码53个氨基酸;其余部分长340bp,可能为一内含子,且符合“GT…AG”规律（Fig．2)。其可能编码的蛋白质氨基酸序列与小鼠的Sox8,9,10,SRY基因的相似性分别为96％,94％,90％和47％;与人类SOX8,9,10,SRY基因的相似性分别为64％,94％,58％和40％（Fig.3)。根据这些特性将命名为PdSox8。Northern杂交结果表明PdSox8在成体脑及肝脏组织中有宏量表达（Fig.4）。     

鸡性别决定机制及相关基因研究进展

鸡性别决定虽然同哺乳动物一样受遗传控制,但其性染色体组成为ZZ／ZW,同哺乳动物相反呈现雌异型,并且鸡性腺性别分化同一些低等脊椎动物一样易受性激素影响。目前参照哺乳动物性别决定相关基因已获得了一些鸡同源基因序列(AMH,SF1,DAX1,SOX9)和3个可能与鸡性别决定有重要关联的候选基因(DMRT1,ASW和FET1)。对这些基因的表达模式及其在层次调控中的功能比较分析结果显示,鸡性别决定的遗传机制同其它脊椎动物相对一致,但也有明显的不同。     

两栖动物的性别决定和分化

性别发育是进化生物学领域备受关注的研究热点之一。性别发育主要包括性别决定和性别分化,脊椎动物的性别决定主要分为基因性别决定和环境性别决定两种模式。两栖动物的性别决定属于基因型性别决定模式,其基因型性别由受精时两性配子的性染色体决定,但性腺分化所产生的表型性别还会受环境温度和性激素的修饰。在两栖动物中性别逆转的现象普遍存在,其相关的生理和分子机制也有一定的研究。本文从性别相关基因对性别决定的影响、温度对两栖动物性别分化的影响、性激素对两栖动物性别分化的影响、温度和性激素对性别相关基因表达的影响等四方面对两栖动物性别决定和性别分化的生理和分子机制进行一定的概述,并提出了未来两栖动物性别发育研究的重点。     

具有内含子的大鳞副泥鳅Sox8基因(英文)

鱼类在脊椎动物系统进化过程中起着承先启后的作用,其性别决定具有原始性、多样性和可塑性。深入研究鱼类的性别决定和分化具有重大的理论意义。Ｓｏｘ基因家族是九十年代发现的一个新的基因家族,其中的许多成员都与性别决定和分化具有直接的关系。大鳞副泥鳅是一种常见的小型鱼类,属于鲤形目鳅科,是少数具有异形性染色体中的一种。本文根据已发表的Ｓｏｘ蛋白质的序列资料,选择在不同物种中保守程度最高的区段设计兼并引物。该组引物可以特异扩增 Ｓｏｘ基因的 ＨＭＧ盒区。以大鳞副泥鳅基因组 ＤＮＡ为模板,在扩增产物中有三条主带,其大小分别为２２０ｂｐ,５５０ｂｐ和１５００ｂｐ,另有一条相当弱的带,大小为７００ｂｐ（Ｆｉｇ．１）。雌雄个体中扩增结果一致。经克隆和ＤＮＡ序列分析,从５５０ｂｐ扩增带中得到一新的基因片段,长５００ｂｐ,编码５３个氨基酸;其余部分长３４０ｂｐ,可能为一内含子,且符合“ＧＴ…ＡＧ”规律（Ｆｉｇ．２）。其可能编码的蛋白质氨基酸序列与小鼠的 Ｓｏｘ８, ９, １０,ＳＲＹ基因的相似性分别为 ９６％, ９４％, ９０％和 ４７％;与人类 Ｓｏｘ ８, ９, １０, ＳＲＹ基因的相似性分别为６４％, ９４％, ５８％和４０％（Ｆｉｇ．３）。     

鱼类和两栖类性别决定的研究进展

鱼类和两栖类在脊椎动物的演化过程中是非常关键的两个类群,人们对于这两类动物性别决定的研究已经取得了一些进展.这些进展不仅对动物性别决定演化的研究有基础性贡献,而且对发展养殖业也有理论指导意义.     

Cloning of Taiwan water buffalo male-specific DNA sequence for sexing

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprinting was carried out to investigate the sex-specific DNA sequence for sexing in Taiwan water buffalos. One hundred and forty random primers were used for RAPD-PCR (polymerase chain reaction). One of these primers, OPC-16, produced a 321 bp fragment found only in tested males. This male-specific fragment was isolated and constructed into plasmids for nucleotide sequencing, a novel male-specific sequence was obtained. Two primers (BuSexOPC16-F and -R) were designed according to the cloned male-specific sequence to amplify the male-specific fragment using PCR for sexing. Sex-specific bands in the gel were represented in the males but none were found in the females when the Taiwan water buffalo genomic DNA samples were amplified with these two primers using PCR. The same results were also obtained from Taiwan yellow, Holstein, Angus, and Hereford cattle samples. This showed that the sex of these five breeds could be easily and effectively determined using the PCR technique.     

Male-specific DNA sequences in pigs

One hundred primers (Operon kits OPAA, OPAO, OPAV, OPC, and OPE series) were used for random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprinting to determine male-specific fragments. Seventy-four percent of the primers yielded Yorkshire polymorphic fragments. One of these primers, OPAV-18, produced a novel 1098-bp DNA fragment found only in tested males. This male-specific fragment was isolated and constructed into plasmids for nucleotide sequencing. Two primers (5'-TTGCTCACGG TAGATAACAA GAGAG-3' and 5'-TTGCTCACGG ACCAGGTAGG GAATG-3') were designed according to the cloned male-specific sequence to amplify the male-specific band using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for pig sexing. Sex-specific bands in the PCR gel products were represented in males but none were found in females when Yorkshire, Duroc, and Landrace genomic DNA samples were amplified with these two primers by PCR. The PCR products in the gel were transferred to nylon membranes and hybridized with a 32P-dCTP labeled probe of the cloned male-specific DNA fragment. There was a clear hybridization signal in samples from all of the male pigs, but not from those of female pigs. Male and female genomic DNA samples from these pigs were spotted onto nylon membranes and hybridized with the male-specific probe. The probe hybridized strongly to males only. A high degree of sequence homology was found among the novel male-specific DNA sequences in Yorkshire, Duroc and Landrace. The sex of these three breeds of pigs could be easily and effectively determined using these two primers.     

A novel sex-specific DNA marker in Columbidae birds

That most Columbidae birds have no conspicuous sexual dimorphism often makes it difficult to identify their sex on the basis of external morphology. In the present study, we report a novel sex-specific DNA marker in Columbidae birds. DNA was extracted from one member of this bird group, Streptopelia orientalis (S. orientalis, oriental turtle dove), and used to identify a female-specific DNA marker using a random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprinting. One hundred and sixty random primers were used for the RAPD-PCR reactions. When using the OPAV17 primer, a novel 902 bp sex-specific PCR product was amplified from known female birds. This fragment of DNA was cloned and sequenced. Two primers, TurSexOPAV17-F and TurSexOPAV17-R, were designed from the cloned sex-specific sequence, and were successfully used to amplify a 777 bp female-specific fragment using PCR from S. orientalis DNA. This sex-specific marker was also amplified from genomic DNA samples of two other female Columbidae, S. chinensis and Columba livia. Sequence analysis showed that this novel sex-specific marker was highly conserved amongst these three bird species. In contrast, the PCR product was not amplified from male DNA of these species, nor from either sex of the S. chinensis formosa birds. Therefore, we concluded that our novel marker can be used to rapidly and accurately identify the sex of birds from three species of Columbidae.     

A novel molecular genetic marker for gender determination of pigeons

The absence of conspicuous sexual dimorphism in pigeons often makes it difficult to determine their sex on the basis of external morphology. We identified a novel female-specific DNA marker in pigeons, presenting the possibility of pigeon gender determination using a PCR-based method. One-hundred and twenty random primers were used for RAPD fingerprinting in order to find any sex-specific fragments in pigeons. One of these primers, OPC-20, produced a female-specific band in the DNA fingerprints. This DNA fragment was isolated from the gel and inserted into a vector for nucleotide sequencing. A novel female-specific 732 bp sequence was obtained. A pair of primers (DoveOPC20F & R) was designed, based on the cloned sequence, for amplifying the female-specific band by PCR for pigeon gender determination. Sex-specific bands in the gel were observed in all females but not in males. The PCR products in the gel were then transferred onto nylon membranes and hybridized with a DIG-labeled probe of the cloned female-specific DNA fragment. Clear hybridization signals were found only in all of the female pigeons; the same result was obtained from dot blot hybridization. This demonstrates that the sex of pigeons can be accurately and rapidly identified by PCR.     

Use of primers derived from a new sequence of the bovine Y chromosome for sexing Bos taurus and Bos indicus embryos

A bovine male-specific marker was identified in our laboratory through random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis. This fragment of 3216 bp was cloned, sequenced and mapped by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) on the taurine Yq. Primers derived from this sequence were initially screened by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for their ability to detect Y-specific segments in zebu and taurine genomic DNA. Two of these primers amplified a 655 bp Y-specific sequence present in taurine and zebu male genomic DNA. These primers were then used for detecting the 655 bp male sequence in DNA from 173 zebu and 30 taurine embryos, which had been previously sexed using primers for the sequence BC 1.2. The results revealed an accuracy of 100%.     

Development of male-specific SCAR marker in date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.)

Genetics of control mechanisms that underlies sex differentiation in date palm is not known. Sex of the plants becomes known only at the time of first flowering, which takes around 5 years. In comparison, molecular diagnosis (if available/feasible) promises quick and reliable identification of sex types very early when plantlets are growing in seedbeds. To develop such an assay, genomic DNA from 45 individual plants (25 female and 20 male) belonging to different varieties of date palm was subjected to PCR amplification using 100 random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and 104 intersimple sequence repeat (ISSR) primers. Initially, two bulk genomic DNA samples (each made by pooling DNA from ten male and female plants, separately) were used. A primer showing sex-specific band in bulked samples was further used for amplification of the genomic DNA of the individual samples of that bulk. Only one RAPD primer, OPA-02, amplified a fragment of ~1.0 kb in all the individual samples of male genotypes, whereas this fragment was absent in all the female genotypes. This male-specific fragment was cloned and sequenced (GenBank accession no. JN123357), and a sequence-characterized amplified region (SCAR) primer pair was designed that amplified a 406-bp fragment in both female and male genotypes and a unique fragment of 354 bp in only male genotypes. The SCAR marker was further validated using 25 female and ten male date palm plants belonging to different varieties collected from different locations.     

The identification of a sex-specific DNA marker in the ostrich using a random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) assay

PCR-based techniques described to date for sex diagnosis in birds are not useful in ratites. We report here the identification of a W-linked marker in the ostrich (Struthio camelus) which allows gender diagnosis in chicks or juvenile birds. DNA from 10 females and 11 males was used to prepare two pools for each sex. Two-hundred different 10-mer primers of arbitrary sequence were used to screen those pools using a random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) assay. One primer (D 10) generated a female-specific band. Sex specificity was confirmed by testing the 21 animals individually. The candidate DNA fragment was cloned and sequenced. Longer primers were designed to optimize a sex-specific PCR which will be useful in diagnosis.     

Male-specific DNA markers from African catfish (Clarias gariepinus)

We searched for sex-specific DNA sequences in the male and female genomes of African catfish, Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822) by comparative random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) assays performed on pooled DNA samples. Two sex-linked RAPD markers were identified from the male DNA pool and confirmed on individual samples, showing good agreement with phenotypic sex. Both markers were isolated, cloned and characterized. The first marker (CgaY1) was nearly 2.6 kb long, while the length of second one (CgaY2) was 458 bp. Southern blot analysis with a CgaY1 probe showed strong hybridizing fragments only in males and not in females under stringent conditions, indicating the presence of multiple copies of CgaY1 in the male genome. When tested by zoo blot on the genomes of two closely related species from the Clariidae family, CgaY1 hybridized to the DNA of Heterobranchus longifilis and generated a faint male-specific band at low stringency. CgaY2 produced similar hybridization pattern in both sexes of C. gariepinus, C. macrocephalus and H. longifilis. Specific primers were designed to the sequences and the markers were amplified in multiplex PCR reactions together with a control band common to all individuals. This allowed for rapid, molecular sexing of the species on the basis of a simple three band (male) versus one band (female) pattern. According to our knowledge these are the first sex-specific DNA markers isolated from a siluroid fish species. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

RAPD markers encoding retrotransposable elements are linked to the male sex in Cannabis sativa L.

Male-associated DNA sequences were analyzed in Cannabis sativa L. (hemp), a dioecious plant with heteromorphic sex chromosomes. DNA was isolated from male and female plants and subjected to random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis. Of 120 primers, 17 yielded 400 to 1500-bp fragments detectable in male, but not female, plants. These fragments were cloned and used as probes in gel-blot analysis of genomic DNA. When male and female DNA was hybridized with 2 of these male-specific fragments, MADC(male-associated DNA sequences in C. sativa)3 and MADC4, particularly intense bands specific to male plants were detected in addition to bands common to both sexes. The MADC3 and MADC4 sequences were shown to encode gag/pol polyproteins of copia-like retrotransposons. Fluorescence in situ hybridization with MADC3 and MADC4 as probes revealed a number of intense signals on the Y chromosome as well as dispersed signals on all chromosomes. The gel-blot analysis and fluorescence in situ hybridization results presented here support the hypothesis that accumulation of retrotransposable elements on the Y chromosome might be 1 cause of heteromorphism of sex chromosomes.     

Male-specific DNA in the dioecious species Atriplex garrettii (Chenopodiaceae)

The mechanism of sex determination in dioecious species of the genus Atriplex (Chenopodiaceae) has not been determined. This paper reports the discovery of a male-specific DNA fragment in the diploid dioecious species A. garrettii. DNA samples extracted individually from ten male and ten female plants were bulked by sex. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fragments were generated in the two bulks in order to identify markers that were polymorphic between male and female plants. A total of 158 decamer primers were tested. A 2075 base-pair (bp) male-specific DNA fragment generated with the OPAF-14 primer was identified. The fragment was cloned and partially sequenced and 24-mer primers that exclusively amplified this fragment were constructed. When 124 male plants, 126 female plants, and one hermaphroditic plant were tested individually, the male-specific 2075-bp DNA fragment was present in the hermaphrodite and all but one of the male plants, and was absent in all female plants. A smaller DNA fragment (~1800 bp) that was homologous to the 2075-bp fragment was amplified from the single male plant that lacked the 2075-bp fragment. Cytogenetic analysis revealed no apparent heteromorphic sex chromosomes. These observations suggest that sex determination in A. garrettii is genetic, with no evidence of heteromorphic sex chromosomes.