[The evolution of human Y chromosome].

The human Y chromosome is always intriguing for researchers, because of its role in gender determination and its unusual evolutionary history. The Y chromosome evolves from an autosome, and its evolution has been characterized by massive gene decay. The lack of recombination and protein-coding genes and high content of repetitive sequences have hindered the progress in our understanding of the Y chromosome biology. Recently, with the advances in comparative genomics and sequencing technology, the research on Y chromosome has become a hotspot, with an intensified debate about Y-chromosome final destination resulting from degeneration. This review focuses on the structure, inheritance characteristics, gene content, and the origin and evolution of Y chromosome. We also discuss the long-term destiny of Y chromosome.