From Liability to Viability: Genes on the Y Chromosome Prove Essential for Male Survival
Wednesday, April 23, 2014 - 12:32
in Biology & Nature
The human Y chromosome has over the course of millions of years of evolution has preserved a small set of genes that has ensured not only its own survival but also the survival of men. Moreover, the vast majority of these tenacious genes appear to have little if any role in sex determination or sperm production. Taken together, these remarkable findings suggest that because these Y-linked genes are active across the body, they may actually be contributing to differences in disease susceptibility and severity observed between men and women.