The medaka sex-determining gene DMY acquired a novel temporal expression pattern after duplication of DMRT1

Abstract

The male sex-determining gene, DMY, of the medaka is considered to have arisen via gene duplication of DMRT1. In the medaka, both genes are expressed in Sertoli cell lineage cells, but their temporal expression patterns are quite different. DMY expression starts just before the sex-determining period, whereas DMRT1 expression occurs during the testicular differentiation period. To evaluate the alterations to the expression patterns of the DMRT1 genes after duplication, we analyzed the morphological gonadal sex differentiation processes and expression patterns of DMRT1 in Oryzias luzonensis and Oryzias mekongensis, which are closely related to the medaka but do not have DMY. Male-specific upregulation of DMRT1 in these two species occurred during the testicular differentiation period, similar to the case for DMRT1 in the medaka. These findings suggest that DMY acquired a novel temporal expression pattern after duplication and that this event played a critical role in the evolutionary process of this gene.