A duplicated copy of DMRT1 in the sex-determining region of the Y chromosome of the medaka, Oryzias latipes

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Abstract
The genes that determine the development of the male or female sex are known in Caenorhabditis elegans , Drosophila , and most mammals. In many other organisms the existence of sex-determining factors has been shown by genetic evidence but the genes are unknown. We have found that in the fish medaka the Y chromosome-specific region spans only about 280 kb. It contains a duplicated copy of the autosomal DMRT1 gene, named DMRT1Y . This is the only functional gene in this chromosome segment and maps precisely to the male sex-determining locus. The gene is expressed during male embryonic and larval development and in the Sertoli cells of the adult testes. These features make DMRT1Y a candidate for the medaka male sex-determining gene.