Functional Coherence of the Human Y Chromosome
Bruce T. Lahn,
David C. Page
A systematic search of the nonrecombining region of the human
Y chromosome (NRY) identified 12 novel genes or families, 10 with full-length complementary DNA sequences. All 12 genes, and six of
eight NRY genes or families previously isolated by less systematic
means, fell into two classes. Genes in the first group were expressed
in many organs; these housekeeping genes have X homologs that escape X
inactivation. The second group, consisting of Y-chromosomal gene
families expressed specifically in testes, may account for infertility
among men with Y deletions. The coherence of the NRY's gene content
contrasts with the apparently haphazard content of most eukaryotic
chromosomes.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Whitehead Institute, and
Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 9 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.
