MBE Advance Access originally published online on March 31, 2006
Molecular Biology and Evolution 2006 23(6):1104-1106; doi:10.1093/molbev/msk011
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A Sex-Specific Marker Reveals Male Heterogamety in European Tree Frogs
Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
E-mail: nicolas.perrin{at}unil.ch.
Most amphibians examined so far show undifferentiated sex chromosomes. The heterogametic sex's identity, usually revealed through indirect means, often varies among closely related species or even populations (as do sex-linkage groups), suggesting great evolutionary instability of the sex-determining genes. Here we take advantage of a sex-specific marker that amplifies in several related species of European tree frogs (Hyla arborea group) to disclose a homogeneous pattern of male heterogamety. Besides relevance for evolutionary studies of sex determination in amphibians, our results have potential for addressing practical issues in conservation biology because sex reversal by anthropogenic endocrine disruptors is considered one possible cause of amphibian decline.
Key Words: amphibians Hyla arborea heterogamety sex-specific marker
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H. Niculita-Hirzel, M. Stock, and N. Perrin A Key Transcription Cofactor on the Nascent Sex Chromosomes of European Tree Frogs (Hyla arborea) Genetics, July 1, 2008; 179(3): 1721 - 1723. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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