High mutation rates have driven extensive structural polymorphism among human Y chromosomes

Sjoerd Repping, Saskia K.M. Van Daalen, Laura G. Brown, Cindy M. Korver, Julian Lange, Janet D. Marszalek, Tatyana Pyntikova, Fulco Van Der Veen, Helen Skaletsky, David C. Page*, Steve Rozen

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal Article peer-review

222 Scopus citations

Abstract

Although much structural polymorphism in the human genome has been catalogued1-5, the kinetics of underlying change remain largely unexplored. Because human Y chromosomes are clonally inherited, it has been possible to capture their detailed relationships in a robust, worldwide genealogical tree6,7. Examination of structural variation across this tree opens avenues for investigating rates of underlying mutations. We selected one Y chromosome from each of 47 branches of this tree and searched for large-scale variation. Four chromosomal regions showed extensive variation resulting from numerous large-scale mutations. Within the tree encompassed by the studied chromosomes, the distal-Yq heterochromatin changed length ≥12 times, the TSPY gene array changed length ≥23 times, the 3.6-Mb IR3/IR3 region changed orientation ≥12 times and the AZFc region was rearranged ≥20 times. After determining the total time spanned by all branches of this tree (∼1.3 million years or 52,000 generations), we converted these mutation counts to lower bounds on rates: ≥2.3 × 10-4, ≥4.4 × 10-4, ≥2.3 × 10-4 and >3.8 × 10-4 large-scale mutations per father-to-son Y transmission, respectively. Thus, high mutation rates have driven extensive structural polymorphism among human Y chromosomes. At the same time, we found limited variation in the copy number of Y-linked genes, which raises the possibility of selective constraints.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)463-467
Number of pages5
JournalNature Genetics
Volume38
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 04 2006
Externally publishedYes

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