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MBE Advance Access published online on June 27, 2003
Molecular Biology and Evolution, doi:10.1093/molbev/msg193
Molecular Biology and Evolution © Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution 2003; all rights reserved
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Accepted June 9, 2003
© 2003 Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution

Original Articles

Sex-Linked Mammalian Sperm Proteins Evolve Faster Than Autosomal Ones

Dara G. Torgerson 1* and Rama S. Singh 1

1 Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4K1, Canada

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: torgerdg{at}mcmaster.ca.


  Abstract

X-linked genes can evolve slower or faster depending on whether most recessive, or at least partially recessive alleles are deleterious or beneficial due to their hemizygous expression in males. Molecular studies of X chromosome divergence have provided conflicting evidence for both a higher and lower rate of nucleotide substitution at both synonymous and nonsynonymous sites depending on the nucleotide sites sampled. Using human and mouse orthologous genes, we tested the hypothesis that genes encoding male-specific sperm proteins are evolving faster on the X chromosome compared to autosomes. X-linked sperm proteins have an average nonsynonymous mutation rate almost twice as high as sperm genes found on autosomes, unlike other tissue-specific genes where no significant difference in the nonsynonymous mutation rate between the X and autosomes was found. However, no difference was found in the average synonymous mutation rate of X-linked vs. autosomal sperm proteins, which along with corresponding higher values of Ka/Ks in X-linked sperm proteins suggest that differences in selective forces and not mutation rates are the underlying cause of higher X-linked mammalian sperm protein divergence.

Key Words: Faster X evolution, human-mouse orthologous genes, sperm proteins, selection, X chromosome


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