The mammalian Y chromosome: a new perspective

For several decades, the mammalian Y chromosome was considered a genetic “desert,” with the testis determinant being the sole survivor of the attrition that followed the chromosome's inception. Aside from the addition of a genetic factor required for spermatogenesis to the human Y chromosome in 1976, this view held sway until the mid-1980s. The ensuing molecular genetic analysis, culminating in the recent paper in Science by Lahn and Page,¹ has identified more than 20 genes or gene families on the human Y. This has led to a reappraisal of the evolution and functions of this unique chromosome. BioEssays 20 :363–366, 1998. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons Inc.