Open AccessSex‐Linkage of the Chicken Ornithine Transcarbamylase Gene
Author(s) -
DominguezSteglich Marina,
Schmid Michael
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
hereditas
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.819
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1601-5223
pISSN - 0018-0661
DOI - 10.1111/j.1601-5223.1993.t01-3-00001.x
Subject(s) - biology , genetics , ornithine transcarbamylase , gene , context (archaeology) , microbiology and biotechnology , chromosome , genetic linkage , urea cycle , paleontology , amino acid , arginine
The chicken ornithine transcarbamylase gene has been mapped to the short arm of the Z chromosome, near the centromere. Radioactive in situ hybridization was performed using a human cDNA clone, and chromosomes were scored for silver grain accumulation. This represents the first documented case of a mammalian X‐linked gene also being sex‐linked in an avian species. The significance of this finding in the context of sex chromosome evolution is briefly discussed. Further, differential sex‐related OTC expression, whereby females (ZW) consistently produce higher levels of the enzyme than males (ZZ), must imply a peculiar mode of OTC transcription regulation.