Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, United Kingdom.
Genetics. 2010 Sep;186(1):9-31. doi: 10.1534/genetics.110.117697.
The ability to identify genetic markers in nonmodel systems has allowed geneticists to construct linkage maps for a diversity of species, and the sex-determining locus is often among the first to be mapped. Sex determination is an important area of study in developmental and evolutionary biology, as well as ecology. Its importance for organisms might suggest that sex determination is highly conserved. However, genetic studies have shown that sex determination mechanisms, and the genes involved, are surprisingly labile. We review studies using genetic mapping and phylogenetic inferences, which can help reveal evolutionary pattern within this lability and potentially identify the changes that have occurred among different sex determination systems. We define some of the terminology, particularly where confusion arises in writing about such a diverse range of organisms, and highlight some major differences between plants and animals, and some important similarities. We stress the importance of studying taxa suitable for testing hypotheses, and the need for phylogenetic studies directed to taxa where the patterns of changes can be most reliably inferred, if the ultimate goal of testing hypotheses regarding the selective forces that have led to changes in such an essential trait is to become feasible.
鉴定非模式系统中遗传标记的能力使遗传学家能够为多种物种构建连锁图谱，而性别决定基因座通常是最早被定位的基因座之一。性别决定是发育生物学、进化生物学和生态学的一个重要研究领域。其对生物体的重要性可能表明性别决定高度保守。然而，遗传研究表明，性别决定机制和涉及的基因非常不稳定。我们回顾了使用遗传图谱和系统发育推断的研究，这些研究可以帮助揭示这种不稳定性中的进化模式，并可能确定不同性别决定系统之间发生的变化。我们定义了一些术语，特别是在描述如此多样化的生物体时容易混淆的术语，并强调了植物和动物之间的一些主要区别，以及一些重要的相似之处。我们强调了研究适合检验假说的分类群的重要性，以及需要针对能够最可靠地推断变化模式的分类群进行系统发育研究，如果最终目标是检验导致如此重要特征发生变化的选择压力的假说，那么这是可行的。
