Yfm1, a multicopy marker specific for the Y chromosome and beneficial for forensic, population, genetic, and spermatogenesis-related studies.

A recently developed microsatellite marker on the Y chromosome, Yfm1, which was originally cloned from a cosmid clone mapped near the DAZ (Deleted in AZoospermia) genes, was used to classify Y chromosomes using an automatic sequencer. Yfm1 could detect multicopies on Y chromosomes in a single polymerase chain reaction, showing four main classes, A, A*, B, and C, according to the number of copies and peak patterns. Compound haplotype analysis of the Y chromosome using the Yfm1 marker with three other biallelic markers on the Y chromosome, SRY, DXYS5Y, and YAP, resulted in nine different haplotypes among different populations, including Japanese. Haplotype II (defined by YAP insertion) observed in the Japanese population was consistently associated with Yfm1 class A or A*, which showed the lowest number of copies of Yfm1. Haplotypes III and IV were consistently associated with Yfm1 class B. On the other hand, haplotype I showed a variety of Yfm1 patterns that were dubbed class C when not appropriately classified as A, A*, or B. These relationships among Yfm1 microsatellite and Y-specific biallelic markers could supply useful population genetic information. Moreover, because we have already shown that men with haplotype II have significantly lower spermatogenic ability than those with other haplotypes, Yfm1 class A or A* with the least number of copies may be related to the haplotype II-specific structure of the Y chromosome, such as deletion of DAZ or DAZ repeats, reflecting the lower spermatogenic abilities of Japanese haplotype II men. Thus, Yfm1 represents a very useful marker for analysis of genetic structure in different populations and studies on Y chromosome lineage-specific genotype-phenotype correlations.