18 Facts About Y chromosome

In mammals, the Y chromosome contains the gene SRY, which triggers male development.

The DNA in the human Y chromosome is composed of about 59 million base pairs, making it similar in size to chromosome 19.

The idea that the Y chromosome was named after its similarity in appearance to the letter "Y" is mistaken.

In mammals, the Y chromosome contains a gene, SRY, which triggers embryonic development as a male.

Over time, genes that were beneficial for males and harmful to females either developed on the Y chromosome or were acquired through the process of translocation.

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The rest of the Y chromosome is passed on to the next generation intact, allowing for its use in tracking human evolution.

Human Y chromosome is particularly exposed to high mutation rates due to the environment in which it is housed.

The Y chromosome is passed exclusively through sperm, which undergo multiple cell divisions during gametogenesis.

In other words, since the Y chromosome is single, it has duplicates of its genes on itself instead of having a second, homologous, chromosome.

The first X chromosome in the chain is partially homologous with the last Y chromosome, indicating that profound rearrangements, some adding new pieces from autosomes, have occurred in history.

The human Y chromosome contains over 200 genes, at least 72 of which code for proteins.

Human Y chromosome is normally unable to recombine with the X chromosome, except for small pieces of pseudoautosomal regions at the telomeres .

In general, the human Y chromosome is extremely gene poor—it is one of the largest gene deserts in the human genome.

Diseases linked to the Y chromosome typically involve an aneuploidy, an atypical number of chromosomes.

Researchers have found that an extra copy of the Y chromosome is associated with increased stature and an increased incidence of learning problems in some boys and men, but the effects are variable, often minimal, and the vast majority do not know their karyotype.

When such an X Y chromosome contributes to the child, the development will lead to a male, because of the SRY gene.

In human genetic genealogy, use of the information contained in the Y chromosome is of particular interest because, unlike other chromosomes, the Y chromosome is passed exclusively from father to son, on the patrilineal line.

Research is currently investigating whether male-pattern neural development is a direct consequence of Y-Y chromosome-related gene expression or an indirect result of Y-Y chromosome-related androgenic hormone production.