Free Access
Issue
Genet. Sel. Evol.
Volume 38, Number 3, May-June 2006
Page(s) 313 - 320
DOI https://doi.org/10.1051/gse:2006006
Published online 26 April 2006
Genet. Sel. Evol. 38 (2006) 313-320
DOI: 10.1051/gse:2006006

A 7-bp insertion in the 3' untranslated region suggests the duplication and concerted evolution of the rabbit SRY gene

Armando Geraldesa, b and Nuno Ferranda

a  CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Campus Agrário de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, e Departamento de Zoologia e Antropologia, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, 4099-002 Porto, Portugal
b  IREC, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (CSIC/UCLM/JCCLM), Spain

(Received 12 August 2005; accepted 14 December 2005; published online 26 April 2006)

Abstract - In this work we report the genetic polymorphism of a 7-bp insertion in the 3' untranslated region of the rabbit SRY gene. The polymorphic GAATTAA motif was found exclusively in one of the two divergent rabbit Y-chromosomal lineages, suggesting that its origin is more recent than the separation of the O. c. algirus and O. c. cuniculus Y-chromosomes. In addition, the remarkable observation of haplotypes exhibiting 0, 1 and 2 7-bp inserts in essentially all algirus populations suggests that the rabbit SRY gene is duplicated and evolving under concerted evolution.


Key words: rabbit / SRY gene / polymorphic insertion / duplication / concerted evolution

Correspondence and reprints: nferrand@mail.icav.up.pt

© INRA, EDP Sciences 2006