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Male Y Chromosomes Not "Genetic Wastelands"
When researchers say they have sequenced the human genome, there is a caveat to this statement: a lot of the human genome is sequenced and assembled, but there are regions that are full of repetitive elements, making them difficult to map. One piece that is notoriously difficult to sequence is the Y chromosome.
Now, researchers from the University of Rochester have found a way to sequence a large portion of the Y chromosome in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster—the most that the Y chromosome has been assembled in fruit flies. The research, published in the journal GENETICS [open, DOI: 10.1534/genetics.118.301765] [DX], provides new insights into the processes that shape the Y chromosome, "and adds to the evidence that, far from a genetic wasteland, Y chromosomes are highly dynamic and have mechanisms to acquire and maintain genes," says Amanda Larracuente, an assistant professor of biology at Rochester.
[...] Using sequence data generated by new technology that reads long strands of individual DNA molecules, [PhD student Ching-Ho] Chang and Larracuente developed a strategy to assemble a large part of the Y chromosome and other repeat-dense regions. By assembling a large portion of the Y chromosome, they discovered that the Y chromosome has a lot of duplicated sequences, where genes are present in multiple copies. They also discovered that although the Y chromosome does not experience crossing over, it undergoes a different type of recombination called gene conversion. While crossing over involves the shuffle and exchange of genes between two different chromosomes, gene conversion is not reciprocal, Larracuente says. "You don't have two chromosomes that exchange material, you have one chromosome that donates its sequence to the other part of the chromosome" and the sequences become identical.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Friday February 08 2019, @04:57PM (8 children)
Genetic wasteland? Never heard that before. How about "experimental laboratory"?
There are more male idiots than there are female - and more male geniuses than female. Guys vary more than females in most other traits, as well. The male half is unstable, the female half relatively stable. A lot of that is reflected in our various cultures, with males being expendable (in wars, or whatever) and females being (mostly) non-expendable.
Wasteland? Without that supposed wasteland, mankind may very well never have come to be.
Where do people come up with ideas such as this? Men have enough to be embarrassed about, without this kind of silly nonsense.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Friday February 08 2019, @06:13PM (2 children)
I could have added some more to the summary, but have you seriously not heard of this? Maybe do the slightest amount of research before ranting.
The Y Chromosome Isn't Failing, It's Honed [soylentnews.org]
As Y Chromosome Shrinks, End of Men Pondered [npr.org]
Study dispels theories of Y chromosome’s demise [berkeley.edu]
What's happening to the Y chromosome? [cosmosmagazine.com]
Sex, genes, the Y chromosome and the future of men [theconversation.com]
Sorry, Guys: Your Y Chromosome May Be Doomed [smithsonianmag.com]
Here's a picture showing the Y chromosome next to the larger X chromosome:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Human_male_karyotpe_high_resolution_-_Chromosome_Y.png [wikipedia.org]
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 08 2019, @09:51PM (1 child)
Size doesn't matter!
(Score: 2) by takyon on Friday February 08 2019, @11:53PM
What about size 0?
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 09 2019, @01:18AM
Color us all surprised. Something Runaway was not aware of.
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Saturday February 09 2019, @05:57AM (3 children)
I'd considered the Y chromosome as a sort of experimental patch-set against the source tree of the human genome for a while now, does that make sense? Some interesting effects, but overall maybe not worth it any longer. While the AC up top was clearly trolling with his idea of using CRISPR to turn me into women, ailuromorphic or otherwise, it's not the worst idea I've ever heard.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Saturday February 09 2019, @06:00AM (2 children)
Good grief, "turn *men* into women." I really ought not to post after a long shift...the screen's looking blurry.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Saturday February 09 2019, @03:48PM (1 child)
I grinned at that typo - I knew what you meant, and I knew how to take it wrong - or right - or whatever. LMAO
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Saturday February 09 2019, @11:46PM
I've got a small fan club who seem to think I'm a transsexual (which is to say, they feverishly masturbate to the idea of me railing them hard with girlcock instead of a plain old strapon, which I do own), so that typo made me facepalm a bit. Bet you dollars to donuts they're going to be, ahem, jumping all over this one...
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...