Skip Navigation


MBE Advance Access originally published online on August 29, 2003
This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
21/2/249    most recent
msg239v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (12)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Ceplitis, H.
Right arrow Articles by Ellegren, H.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Ceplitis, H.
Right arrow Articles by Ellegren, H.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Mol. Biol. Evol. 21(2):249-254. 2004
DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msg239
© 2004 by the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution. ISSN: 0737-4038

Adaptive Molecular Evolution of HINTW, a Female-Specific Gene in Birds

Helene Ceplitis and Hans Ellegren

Department of Evolutionary Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden

E-mail: hans.ellegren{at}ebc.uu.se.

It is well established that many genes on the male-specific Y chromosome of organisms such as mammals are involved in male reproduction and may evolve rapidly because of positive selection on male reproductive traits. In contrast, very little is known about the function and evolution of W-linked genes restricted to the female genome of organisms with female heterogamety. For birds (males ZZ, females ZW), only one W-linked gene (HINTW) is sufficiently different from its Z-linked homolog to indicate a female-specific function. Here, we report that HINTW shows evidence of adaptive molecular evolution, implying strong positive selection for new functional properties in female birds. Moreover, because HINTW is expressed in the gonads of female birds just before sexual differentiation and is thus a candidate for sex determination, it suggests adaptive evolution related to female development. This provides the first example of Darwinian evolution of a gene restricted to the female genome of any organism. Given that HINTW exists in multiple copies on W, similar to some testis-specific genes amplified on mammalian Y, avian HINTW may thus potentially represent a female parallel to the organization and evolution of Y chromosome genes involved in male reproduction and development.

Key Words: W chromosome • adaptive evolution • positive selection • sex chromosomes • birds


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Mol Biol EvolHome page
N. Backstrom, H. Ceplitis, S. Berlin, and H. Ellegren
Gene Conversion Drives the Evolution of HINTW, an Ampliconic Gene on the Female-Specific Avian W Chromosome
Mol. Biol. Evol., October 1, 2005; 22(10): 1992 - 1999.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USAHome page
S. V. Edwards, S. B. Kingan, J. D. Calkins, C. N. Balakrishnan, W. B. Jennings, W. J. Swanson, and M. D. Sorenson
Speciation in birds: Genes, geography, and sexual selection
PNAS, May 3, 2005; 102(suppl_1): 6550 - 6557.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USAHome page
S. Berlin and H. Ellegren
Chicken W: A genetically uniform chromosome in a highly variable genome
PNAS, November 9, 2004; 101(45): 15967 - 15969.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 GeneticsHome page
L.-J. L. Handley, H. Ceplitis, and H. Ellegren
Evolutionary Strata on the Chicken Z Chromosome: Implications for Sex Chromosome Evolution
Genetics, May 1, 2004; 167(1): 367 - 376.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.