The Y chromosome contains several genes that are active in brain neurons, overturning the idea that its only job is to grow testes.
Biology textbooks have taught for decades that the Y chromosome is a minimalist piece of DNA focused solely on male fertility. New mapping shows that several Y-linked genes are expressed throughout the mouse and human brain. These genes are found in the same regions that control mood, behavior, and cognitive processing. This means that men and women have fundamental biological differences in their brain chemistry that are hard-coded by this chromosome. This discovery will change how we develop drugs for neurological diseases that affect men and women differently.
Expression of Y-Chromosome-Encoded Specific Genes in Mouse and Human Brain Neurons and Their Potential Impact on Sex Differences
research_square · rs-9434261
Abstract Traditional paradigms hold that Y-chromosome-encoded genes are predominantly expressed in the testes, where they regulate male sexual development and fertility. However, whether these genes are expressed in brain tissue and their functional significance therein have long been overlooked. In this study, we employed C4 single-cell sequencing technology and detected the expression of 11 Y-chromosome-encoded genes in the mouse brain, including DDX3Y, USP9Y, KDM5D, Eif2s3y, Uty, II3ra, II9r,