A 7-bp insertion in the 3′ untranslated region suggests the duplication and concerted evolution of the rabbit SRY gene

Abstract

In this work we report the genetic polymorphism of a 7-bp insertion in the 3′ untranslated region of the rabbit SRY gene. The polymorphic GAATTAA motif was found exclusively in one of the two divergent rabbit Y-chromosomal lineages, suggesting that its origin is more recent than the separation of the O. c. algirus and O. c. cuniculus Y-chromosomes. In addition, the remarkable observation of haplotypes exhibiting 0, 1 and 2 7-bp inserts in essentially all algirus populations suggests that the rabbit SRY gene is duplicated and evolving under concerted evolution. © INRA, EDP Sciences, 2006.