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MBE Advance Access published online on December 5, 2003
Molecular Biology and Evolution, doi:10.1093/molbev/msh027
Molecular Biology and Evolution © Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution 2003; all rights reserved
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Accepted September 29, 2003
© 2003 Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution

Original Articles

Sex Differences in Structure and Expression of the Sex Chromosome Genes CHD1Z and CHD1W in Zebra Finches

Robert J. Agate 1, Meeryo Choe 1, and Arthur P. Arnold 1*

1 Department of Physiological Science, and Laboratory of Neuroendcrinology of the Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: arnold{at}ucla.edu.


  Abstract

Genes on the sex chromosomes are unique because of their sex-specific inheritance. One question is whether homologous gene pairs on the sex chromosomes, which have diverged in their sequence, have acquired different functions. We have analyzed the first homologous pair of genes (CHD1Z and CHD1W) discovered on the avian Z and W sex chromosomes of the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) to examine whether functional differences may have evolved. Sequence analysis revealed that the two genes maintained a high degree of similarity especially within the C, H, and D domains, but outside of these regions larger differences were observed. Expression studies showed that CHD1W was unique to females and has the potential to produce a protein that CHD1Z does not. CHD1Z mRNA was expressed at a higher level in the male brain than in female brain at various post-hatch ages. Reporter constructs containing the 5' flanking regions of each gene showed they had the ability to drive reporter expression in primary cell cultures. The 5' flanking region sequence of CHD1Z and CHD1W exhibited little homology and differences in putative promoter elements were apparent. These differences between CHD1Z and CHD1W suggest that the two proteins may have diverged in their function.

Key Words: sexual differentiation, sex chromosomes, CHD, brain, songbird


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 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USAHome page
X. Chen, R. J. Agate, Y. Itoh, and A. P. Arnold
Sexually dimorphic expression of trkB, a Z-linked gene, in early posthatch zebra finch brain
PNAS, May 24, 2005; 102(21): 7730 - 7735.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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