Hoffmann, R. A wiki for the life sciences where authorship matters. Nature Genetics (2008)

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Agulnik, A.I. et al.

Evolution of the DAZ gene family suggests that Y-linked DAZ plays little, or a limited, role in spermatogenesis but underlines a recent African origin for human populations.

The recent transposition to the Y chromosome of the autosomal DAZL1 gene, potentially involved in germ cell development, created a unique opportunity to study the rate of Y chromosome evolution and assess the selective forces that may act upon such genes, and provided a new estimate of the male-to-female mutation rate (alpham). Two different Y-located DAZ sequences were observed in all Old World monkeys, apes and humans. Different DAZ copies originate from independent amplification events in each primate lineage. A comparison of autosomal DAZL1 and Y-linked DAZ intron sequences gave a new figure for male-to-female mutation rates of alpham = 4. It was found that human DAZ exons and introns are evolving at the same rate, implying neutral genetic drift and the absence of any functional selective pressures. We therefore hypothesize that Y-linked DAZ plays little, or a limited, role in human spermatogenesis. The two copies of DAZ in man appear to be due to a relatively recent duplication event (55 000-200 000 years). A worldwide survey of 67 men from five continents representing 19 distinct populations showed that most males have both DAZ variants. This implies a common origin for the Y chromosome consistent with a recent 'out of Africa' origin of the human race.[1]

References

Evolution of the DAZ gene family suggests that Y-linked DAZ plays little, or a limited, role in spermatogenesis but underlines a recent African origin for human populations. Agulnik, A.I., Zharkikh, A., Boettger-Tong, H., Bourgeron, T., McElreavey, K., Bishop, C.E. Hum. Mol. Genet. (1998) [Pubmed]

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