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Review
. 2009 May;5(5):e1000493.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1000493. Epub 2009 May 22.

XY and ZW: is meiotic sex chromosome inactivation the rule in evolution?

Satoshi H Namekawa  1 , Jeannie T Lee
Affiliations
Review

XY and ZW: is meiotic sex chromosome inactivation the rule in evolution?

Satoshi H Namekawa et al. PLoS Genet. 2009 May.
No abstract available

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. MSCI in the bird and the mammal.
(A) Divergence of birds from mammals approximately 300 million years ago coincides with the split between XY and ZW sex determination schemes. (B) Schematic representation of MSCI in birds, marsupial mammals, and placental mammals. Unlike the X and Y, all of the Z and W are co-localized and held together by a proteinaceous bond during mid-pachytene (intertwined), although there is no homology and no genetic exchange takes place. ZW inactivation is also limited to prophase I, whereas XY inactivation persists into the post-meiotic period.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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