The evolution of sex dimorphism in recombination

Sex dimorphism in recombination is widespread on both sex chromosomes and autosomes. Various hypotheses have been proposed to explain these dimorphisms. Yet no theoretical model has been explored to determine how heterochiasmy--the autosomal dimorphism--could evolve. The model presented here shows t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inGenetics (Austin) Vol. 163; no. 2; pp. 811 - 822
Main Author Lenormand, Thomas
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Genetics Society of America 01.02.2003
Subjects
Biological Evolution
Chromosomes
Crossing Over, Genetic
Epistasis, Genetic
Evolution
Females
Genes
Genetic Linkage
Hypotheses
Males
Meiosis - genetics
Models, Genetic
Recombination, Genetic
Sex Characteristics
Sex Chromosomes
Sex Determination Processes
Sexuality
Sheep
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Summary:Sex dimorphism in recombination is widespread on both sex chromosomes and autosomes. Various hypotheses have been proposed to explain these dimorphisms. Yet no theoretical model has been explored to determine how heterochiasmy--the autosomal dimorphism--could evolve. The model presented here shows three circumstances in which heterochiasmy is likely to evolve: (i) a male-female difference in haploid epistasis, (ii) a male-female difference in cis-epistasis minus trans-epistasis in diploids, or (iii) a difference in epistasis between combinations of genes inherited maternally or paternally. These results hold even if sources of linkage disequilibria besides epistasis, such as migration or Hill-Robertson interference, are considered and shed light on previous verbal models of sex dimorphism in recombination rates. Intriguingly, these results may also explain why imprinted regions on the autosomes of humans or sheep are particularly heterochiasmate.
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ISSN:0016-6731
1943-2631
1943-2631
DOI:10.1093/genetics/163.2.811