Where did the Y chromosome in the spiny rat go, and how did it get there?

Joint press release (in Japanese)by Hokkaido University, Institute of Science Tokyo, Kurume University, National Institute of Genetics and Okinawa University
Abstract
The XX/XY sex chromosome system is highly conserved across mammals, with rare exceptions where males lack a Y chromosome. Among these is the genus Tokudaia, a group of spiny rats comprising three species with unique sex chromosome systems deviating from the typical XX/XY pattern. While Tokudaia osimensis and Tokudaia tokunoshimensis have completely lost the Y chromosome, they retain some Y-linked genes on the X chromosome. In contrast, Tokudaia muenninki retains large sex chromosomes where both the X and Y chromosomes have fused with an autosome pair, carrying multi-copied Y-linked genes, including Sry. In this study, we generated….
Read the original article on Molecular Biology and Evolution
Article inforamation
Miki Okuno, Kentaro Matsuoka, Yuta Mochimaru, Takahiro Yamabe, Mayou Okano, Takamichi Jogahara , Atsushi Toyoda, Asato Kuroiwa, Takehiko Itoh, Where did the Y chromosome in the spiny rat go, and how did it get there?, Molecular Biology and Evolution, 42, 5, May 2025
DOI:10.1093/molbev/msaf102