New Evidence of the Monophyletic Relationship of the Genus Psammolestes Bergroth, 1911 (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Triatominae).

The genus Psammolestes within the subfamily Triatominae and tribe Rhodniini comprises the species Psammolestes arthuri, Psammolestes coreodes, and Psammolestes tertius, all potential vectors of Chagas disease. A feature of Psammolestes is their close association with birds, which makes them an interesting model for evolutionary studies. We analyzed cytogenetically Psammolestes spp., with the aim of contributing to the genetic and evolutionary knowledge of these vectors. All species of the Psammolestes showed the same chromosomal characteristics: chromocenter formed only by sex chromosomes X and Y, karyotype 2n = 22 and constitutive heterochromatin, and AT base pairs restricted to the sex chromosome Y. These results corroborate the monophyly of the genus and lead to the hypothesis that during the derivation of P. tertius, P. coreodes, and P. arthuri from their common ancestor, there was no reorganization in the number or structure of chromosomes.

More sex chromosomes than autosomes in the Amazonian frog Leptodactylus pentadactylus.

Heteromorphic sex chromosomes are common in eukaryotes and largely ubiquitous in birds and mammals. The largest number of multiple sex chromosomes in vertebrates known today is found in the monotreme platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus, 2n = 52) which exhibits precisely 10 sex chromosomes. Interestingly, fish, amphibians, and reptiles have sex determination mechanisms that do or do not involve morphologically differentiated sex chromosomes. Relatively few amphibian species carry heteromorphic sex chromosomes, and when present, they are frequently represented by only one pair, either XX:XY or ZZ:ZW types. Here, in contrast, with several evidences, from classical and molecular cytogenetic analyses, we found 12 sex chromosomes in a Brazilian population of the smoky jungle frog, designated as Leptodactylus pentadactylus Laurenti, 1768 (Leptodactylinae), which has a karyotype with 2n = 22 chromosomes. Males exhibited an astonishing stable ring-shaped meiotic chain composed of six X and six Y chromosomes. The number of sex chromosomes is larger than the number of autosomes found, and these data represent the largest number of multiple sex chromosomes ever found among vertebrate species. Additionally, sequence and karyotype variation data suggest that this species may represent a complex of species, in which the chromosomal rearrangements may possibly have played an important role in the evolution process.

X inactivation in a mammal species with three sex chromosomes.

X inactivation is a fundamental mechanism in eutherian mammals to restore a balance of X-linked gene products between XY males and XX females. However, it has never been extensively studied in a eutherian species with a sex determination system that deviates from the ubiquitous XX/XY. In this study, we explore the X inactivation process in the African pygmy mouse Mus minutoides, that harbours a polygenic sex determination with three sex chromosomes: Y, X, and a feminizing mutant X, named X*; females can thus be XX, XX*, or X*Y, and all males are XY. Using immunofluorescence, we investigated histone modification patterns between the two X chromosome types. We found that the X and X* chromosomes are randomly inactivated in XX* females, while no histone modifications were detected in X*Y females. Furthermore, in M. minutoides, X and X* chromosomes are fused to different autosomes, and we were able to show that the X inactivation never spreads into the autosomal segments. Evaluation of X inactivation by immunofluorescence is an excellent quantitative procedure, but it is only applicable when there is a structural difference between the two chromosomes that allows them to be distinguished.

The XY Body of the Cat (Felis catus): Structural Differentiations and Protein Immunolocalization.

The heteromorphic X and Y chromosomes behave in a special way in mammalian spermatocytes; they form the XY body and synapse only partially. The aim of this article was to study the origin and the role of the special differentiations in the XY pair of the domestic cat during pachytene by analyzing its fine structural characteristics and the immunolocalization of the main meiotic proteins SYCP3, SYCP1, SYCE3, SMC3, γ-H2AX, BRCA1, H3K27me3, and MLH1. The cat XY body shows particularly striking structures: an extreme degree of axial fibrillation in late pachynema and a special location of SYCP3-containing fibrils, bridging different regions of the main X axis, as well as one bridge at the inner end of the pairing region that colocalizes with the single mandatory MLH1 focus. There are sequential changes, first bullous expansions, then subdivision into fibrils, all involving axial thickening. The chromatin of the XY body presents the usual features of meiotic sex chromosome inactivation. An analysis of the XY body of many eutherians and metatherians suggests that axial thickenings are primitive features. The sequential changes in the mass and location of SYCP3-containing fibers vary among the clades because of specific processes of axial assembly/disassembly occurring in different species.

Prevalencia de microdeleciones del cromosoma Y en hombres chilenos infértiles / Y chromosome microdeletion prevalence in infertile Chilean men

Objetivo. El objetivo de este estudio es determinar la prevalencia de microdeleciones del cromosomaY en hombres chilenos infértiles. Material y métodos. Se incluyeron 102 hombres con diagnóstico de azoospermia u oligozoospermia severa que consultaron en la Unidad de Andrología por infertilidad. Se llevó a cabo análisis de microdeleciones de la región del factor de azoospermia (AZF) del cromosomaY a través de reacción en cadena de la polimerasa, utilizando ADN genómico extraído de leucocitos de sangre periférica. Cada paciente fue analizado utilizando sequence tagged sites para las regiones AZFa, AZFb y AZFc. Resultados. Sesenta y siete pacientes presentaron azoospermia y 35 oligozoospermia severa. Se encontraron microdeleciones del cromosomaY en el 9,8% de los pacientes. La mutación más prevalente fue AZFc, afectando al 3,9% de la muestra, seguida por AZFbc (2,9%), AZFa (2,0%) y AZFb (1,0%). Solo los hombres azoospérmicos presentaron las mutaciones. Conclusiones. La prevalencia de microdeleciones del cromosomaY en hombres chilenos infértiles es similar a la presentada en estudios internacionales. Estas mutaciones deben ser buscadas cuando se enfrenta a un paciente infértil con alteraciones cuantitativas severas del seminograma, ya que AZFa y AZFb están asociados con ausencia completa de gametos viables, y la portación de AZFc tiene importantes consecuencias en el potencial de fertilidad de la descendencia masculina (AU)

Objective. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of Ychromosome microdeletions in infertile Chilean men. Material and methods. A group of 102 infertile men with azoospermia or severe oligozoospermia were screened while attending a fertility clinic for microdeletions in the azoospermia factor (AZF) region of Ychromosome by multiplex polymerase chain reaction. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood samples. Each patient was analysed for the presence of sequence tagged sites in the AZFa, AZFb, and AZFc regions. Results. Azoospermia and severe oligozoospermia was found in 67 and 35 patients, respectively. Microdeletions were found in 9.8% of patients. The most prevalent mutation was AZFc, affecting 3.9% of the sample. This was followed by AZFbc with 2.9%, AZFa with 2.0%, and AZFb with 1.0%. Only azoospermic men were found to have these genetic alterations. Conclusions. Prevalence of Ychromosome microdeletions in infertile Chilean men is similar to the prevalence presented in international studies. As AZFa and AZFb mutations are associated with complete absence of viable gametes, and AZFc has important consequences in the fertility potential of the offspring, these mutations have to be searched when presented with an infertile patient with severe sperm alterations (AU)

XX/XY System of Sex Determination in the Geophilomorph Centipede Strigamia maritima.

We show that the geophilomorph centipede Strigamia maritima possesses an XX/XY system of sex chromosomes, with males being the heterogametic sex. This is, to our knowledge, the first report of sex chromosomes in any geophilomorph centipede. Using the recently assembled Strigamia genome sequence, we identified a set of scaffolds differentially represented in male and female DNA sequence. Using quantitative real-time PCR, we confirmed that three candidate X chromosome-derived scaffolds are present at approximately twice the copy number in females as in males. Furthermore, we confirmed that six candidate Y chromosome-derived scaffolds contain male-specific sequences. Finally, using this molecular information, we designed an X chromosome-specific DNA probe and performed fluorescent in situ hybridization against mitotic and meiotic chromosome spreads to identify the Strigamia XY sex-chromosome pair cytologically. We found that the X and Y chromosomes are recognizably different in size during the early pachytene stage of meiosis, and exhibit incomplete and delayed pairing.

Variable patterns of Y chromosome homology in Akodontini rodents (Sigmodontinae): a phylogenetic signal revealed by chromosome painting.

The Akodontini is the second most speciose tribe of sigmodontine rodents, one of the most diverse groups of neotropical mammals. Molecular phylogenetic analyses are discordant regarding the interrelationships of genera, with low support for some clades. However, two clades are concordant, one (clade A) with Akodon sensu strictu (excluding Akodon serrensis), "Akodon" serrensis, Bibimys, Deltamys, Juscelinomys, Necromys, Oxymycterus, Podoxymys, Thalpomys and Thaptomys, and another (clade B) with Blarinomys, Brucepattersonius, Kunsia, Lenoxus and Scapteromys. Here, we present chromosome painting using Akodon paranaensis (APA) Y paint, after suppression of simple repetitive sequences, on ten Akodontini genera. Partial Y chromosome homology, in addition to the homology already reported on the Akodon genus, was detected on the Y chromosomes of "A." serrensis, Thaptomys, Deltamys, Necromys and Thalpomys and on Y and X chromosomes in Oxymycterus. In Blarinomys, Brucepattersonius, Scapteromys and Kunsia, no APA Y signal was observed using different hybridization conditions; APA X paint gave positive signals only on the X chromosome in all genera. The Y chromosome homology was variable in size and positioning among the species studied as follow: (1) whole acrocentric Y chromosome in Akodon and "A." serrensis, (2) Yp and pericentromeric region in submetacentric Y of Necromys and Thaptomys, (3) pericentromeric region in acrocentric Y of Deltamys, (4) distal Yq in the acrocentric Y chromosome of Thalpomys and (5) proximal Yq in the acrocentric Y and Xp in the basal clade A genus Oxymycterus. The results suggest that the homology involves pairing (pseudoautosomal) and additional regions that have undergone rearrangement during divergence. The widespread Y homology represents a phylogenetic signal in Akodontini that provides additional evidence supporting the monophyly of clade A. The findings also raise questions about the evolution of the pseudoautosomal region observed in Oxymycterus. The Y chromosomes of these closely related species seem to have undergone dynamic rearrangements, including restructuring and reduction of homologous segments. Furthermore, the changes observed may indicate progressive attrition of the Y chromosome in more distantly related species.

Synapsis, recombination, and chromatin remodeling in the XY body of armadillos.

Three xenarthrans species Chaetophractus villosus, Chaetophractus vellerosus, and Zaedyus pichiy have been used for the analysis of the structure, behavior, and immunochemical features of the XY body during pachytene. In all these species, the sex chromosomes form an XY body easily identifiable in thin sections by the special and regular packing of the chromatin fibers of the internal region of the XY body ("differential" regions) and those of the peripheral region (synaptic region). Spermatocyte spreads show a complete synapsis between the X- and the Y-axis, which lasts up to the end of pachytene. From the early pachytene substages to the late ones, the X-axis develops prominent branches, which in late pachytene span the synaptic region. Synapsis is regular as shown by SYCP1 labeling. Axial development is followed by SYCP3 labeling and in the asynaptic region of the X-axis by BRCA1. Gamma-H2AX labels exclusively the differential (asynaptic) region of the X chromosome. A single focus is labeled by MLH1 in the synaptic region. The location of this MLH1 focus spans from 0.3 to 1.6 µm from the telomere in the analyzed xenarthrans, covering approximately half of the Y-axis length. It is concluded that xenarthrans, as basal placental mammals, harbor the largest pseudoautosomal regions of presently analyzed mammals, and shows the typical features of meiotic sex chromosome inactivation (MSCI).

Multiple independent evolutionary losses of XY pairing at meiosis in the grey voles.

In many eutherian mammals, X-Y chromosome pairing and recombination is required for meiotic progression and correct sex chromosome disjunction. Arvicoline rodents present a notable exception to this meiotic rule, with multiple species possessing asynaptic sex chromosomes. Most asynaptic vole species belong to the genus Microtus sensu lato. However, many of the species both inside and outside the genus Microtus display normal X-Y synapsis at meiosis. These observations suggest that the synaptic condition was present in the common ancestor of all voles, but gaps in current taxonomic sampling across the arvicoline phylogeny prevent identification of the lineage(s) along which the asynaptic state arose. In this study, we use electron and immunofluorescent microscopy to assess heterogametic sex chromosome pairing in 12 additional arvicoline species. Our sample includes ten species of the tribe Microtini and two species of the tribe Lagurini. This increased breadth of sampling allowed us to identify asynaptic species in each major Microtine lineage. Evidently, the ability of the sex chromosomes to pair and recombine in male meiosis has been independently lost at least three times during the evolution of Microtine rodents. These results suggest a lack of evolutionary constraint on X-Y synapsis in Microtini, hinting at the presence of alternative molecular mechanisms for sex chromosome segregation in this large mammalian tribe.

Retrotransposons that maintain chromosome ends.

Reverse transcriptases have shaped genomes in many ways. A remarkable example of this shaping is found on telomeres of the genus Drosophila, where retrotransposons have a vital role in chromosome structure. Drosophila lacks telomerase; instead, three telomere-specific retrotransposons maintain chromosome ends. Repeated transpositions to chromosome ends produce long head to tail arrays of these elements. In both form and function, these arrays are analogous to the arrays of repeats added by telomerase to chromosomes in other organisms. Distantly related Drosophila exhibit this variant mechanism of telomere maintenance, which was established before the separation of extant Drosophila species. Nevertheless, the telomere-specific elements still have the hallmarks that characterize non-long terminal repeat (non-LTR) retrotransposons; they have also acquired characteristics associated with their roles at telomeres. These telomeric retrotransposons have shaped the Drosophila genome, but they have also been shaped by the genome. Here, we discuss ways in which these three telomere-specific retrotransposons have been modified for their roles in Drosophila chromosomes.

The process of a Y-loss event in an XO/XO mammal, the Ryukyu spiny rat.

The Ryukyu spiny rat, Tokudaia osimensis, has an XO/XO sex chromosome constitution, lacking a Y chromosome and the mammalian sex-determining gene SRY. To investigate the Y-loss event, we traced three proto-Y-linked genes, RBMY1A1, EIF2S3Y, and KDM5D, in the genome. The original Y-linked RBMY1A1 was lost as well as SRY, and the remaining RBMY1A1 was a processed pseudogene on autosome. In contrast, EIF2S3Y and KDM5D were conserved in genomes of both sexes as a result of their translocation from the Y chromosome to the X chromosome and/or autosomes. Furthermore, these genes were expressed in gonads and brains of both sexes. Our study indicated a loss of Y-linked genes with important male functions to be necessary for the Y chromosome to disappear. These functions might have been retained through the acquisition of new genes, and therefore, the Y-loss has had no harmful effect on the maintenance of this species.

Autosomal mutations affecting Y chromosome loops in Drosophila melanogaster.

BACKGROUND: The Y chromosome of Drosophila melanogaster harbors several genes required for male fertility. The genes for these fertility factors are very large in size and contain conspicuous amounts of repetitive DNA and transposons. Three of these loci (ks-1, kl-3 and kl-5) have the ability to develop giant lampbrush-like loops in primary spermatocytes, a cytological manifestation of their active state in these cells. Y-loops bind a number of non-Y encoded proteins, but the mechanisms regulating their development and their specific functions are still to be elucidated. RESULTS: Here we report the results of a screen of 726 male sterile lines to identify novel autosomal genes controlling Y-loop function. We analyzed mutant testis preparations both in vivo and by immunofluorescence using antibodies directed against Y-loop-associated proteins. This screen enabled us to isolate 17 mutations at 15 loci whose wild-type function is required for proper Y-loop morphogenesis. Six of these loci are likely to specifically control loop development, while the others display pleiotropic effects on both loops and meiotic processes such as spermiogenesis, sperm development and maturation. We also determined the map position of the mutations affecting exclusively Y-loop morphology. CONCLUSION: Our cytological screening permitted us to identify novel genetic functions required for male spermatogenesis, some of which show pleiotropic effects. Analysis of these mutations also shows that loop development can be uncoupled from meiosis progression. These data represent a useful framework for the characterization of Y-loop development at a molecular level and for the study of the genetic control of heterochromatin.

The genetic signature of sex-biased migration in patrilocal chimpanzees and humans.

A large body of theoretical work suggests that analyses of variation at the maternally inherited mitochondrial (mt)DNA and the paternally inherited non-recombining portion of the Y chromosome (NRY) are a potentially powerful way to reveal the differing migratory histories of men and women across human societies. However, the few empirical studies comparing mtDNA and NRY variation and known patterns of sex-biased migration have produced conflicting results. Here we review some methodological reasons for these inconsistencies, and take them into account to provide an unbiased characterization of mtDNA and NRY variation in chimpanzees, one of the few mammalian taxa where males routinely remain in and females typically disperse from their natal groups. We show that patterns of mtDNA and NRY variation are more strongly contrasting in patrilocal chimpanzees compared with patrilocal human societies. The chimpanzee data we present here thus provide a valuable comparative benchmark of the patterns of mtDNA and NRY variation to be expected in a society with extremely female-biased dispersal.

Bidirectional transcription of a novel chimeric gene mapping to mouse chromosome Yq.

BACKGROUND: The male-specific region of the mouse Y chromosome long arm (MSYq) contains three known highly multi-copy X-Y homologous gene families, Ssty1/2, Sly and Asty. Deletions on MSYq lead to teratozoospermia and subfertility or infertility, with a sex ratio skew in the offspring of subfertile MSYqdel males RESULTS: We report the highly unusual genomic structure of a novel MSYq locus, Orly, and a diverse set of spermatid-specific transcripts arising from copies of this locus. Orly is composed of partial copies of Ssty1, Asty and Sly arranged in sequence. The Ssty1- and Sly-derived segments are in antisense orientation relative to each other, leading to bi-directional transcription of Orly. Genome search and phylogenetic tree analysis is used to determine the order of events in mouse Yq evolution. We find that Orly is the most recent gene to arise on Yq, and that subsequently there was massive expansion in copy number of all Yq-linked genes. CONCLUSION: Orly has an unprecedented chimeric structure, and generates both "forward" (Orly) and "reverse" (Orlyos) transcripts arising from the promoters at each end of the locus. The region of overlap of known Orly and Orlyos transcripts is homologous to Sly intron 2. We propose that Orly may be involved in an intragenomic conflict between mouse X and Y chromosomes, and that this process underlies the massive expansion in copy number of the genes on MSYq and their X homologues.

Meiotic characterization and sex determination system of neotropical primates: Bolivian squirrel monkey Saimiri boliviensis (primates: Cebidae).

The chromosomal sex determination system differs among platyrrhine monkeys more than any other group of primates. Although a number of studies have investigated mitotic chromosomes across platyrrhine species, the meiotic chromosomes of many genera have not yet been described. The goal of this study was to characterize the sex determination system of Saimiri boliviensis. We described for the first time the meiotic cycle, confirming the sexual system in germ cells from testicular biopsies of four adult male S. boliviensis. All specimens were weighed and testicular volume was measured. We observed 22 bivalents corresponding to 2N = 44, and a "human-like" XY bivalent was found in diakinesis/metaphase I. In addition, mitotic studies from blood samples of both sexes were performed and G- and C-banding patterns agreed with previously reported karylogy of S. boliviensis boliviensis. Further meiotic studies should be performed in New World primates based on the great value of those studies for systematic evolutionary biology and conservation programs.

Synaptonemal complexes and XY behavior in two species of Argentinian armadillos: Chaetophractus villosus and Dasypus hybridus (Xenarthra, Dasypodidae).

Spermatocytes from the two armadillo species, C. villosus and D. hybridus were studied in microspreads for synaptonemal complexes (SCs) and in thin sections for electron microscopy (EM). The complete SC karyotype generally agrees with previous reports on mitotic chromosomes, except for the sex chromosomes. The X chromosome is submetacentric in both species and the Y is the shortest one in C. villosus and the second shortest in D. hybridus, and an extremely acrocentric one. A SC is formed along the total length of the Y chromosome, and this SC persists along all the pachytene substages. A single recombination nodule (RN) is located in the region of the SC nearest to the attachment to the nuclear envelope. The lateral element (LE) of the X axis in the SC shows a wavy aspect in most of the SC length distant from the nuclear envelope. Nucleoli are attached to acrocentric or submetacentric bivalents, are visibly double in some cells, and in thin sections show an elaborate nucleolonema. Some differences in the XY are species-specific, as the higher degree of tangling and stronger heteropycnosis in D. hybridus. The effective, single crossover of the XY pair is highly localized, despite the permanence of a long tract of SC.

Synaptonemal complexes and XY behavior in two species of argentinian armadillos: Chaetophractus villosus and Dasypus hybridus (Xenarthra, Dasypodidae)

Spermatocytes from the two armadillo species, C. villosus and D. hybridus were studied in microspreads for synaptonemal complexes (SCs) and in thin sections for electron microscopy (EM). The complete se karyotype generally agrees with previous reports on mitotic chromosomes, except for the sex chromosomes. The X chromosome is submetacentric in both species and the Y is the shortest one in C. villosus and the second shortest in D. hybridus, and an extremely acrocentric one. A SC is formed along the total length of the Y chromosome, and this SC persists along all the pachytene substages. A single recombi-nation nodule (RN) is located in the region of the se nearest to the attachment to the nuclear envelope. The lateral element (LE) of the X axis in the SC shows a wavy aspect in most of the se length distant from the nuclear envelope. Nucleoli are attached to acrocentric or submetacentric bivalents, are visibly double in some cells , and in thin sections show an elaborate nucleolonema. Some differences in the XY are species-specific, as the higher degree of tangling and stronger heteropycnosis in D. hybridus. The effective, single crossover of the XY pair is highly localized, despite the permanence of a long tract of SC(AU)

Synaptonemal complexes and XY behavior in two species of argentinian armadillos: Chaetophractus villosus and Dasypus hybridus (Xenarthra, Dasypodidae)

Spermatocytes from the two armadillo species, C. villosus and D. hybridus were studied in microspreads for synaptonemal complexes (SCs) and in thin sections for electron microscopy (EM). The complete se karyotype generally agrees with previous reports on mitotic chromosomes, except for the sex chromosomes. The X chromosome is submetacentric in both species and the Y is the shortest one in C. villosus and the second shortest in D. hybridus, and an extremely acrocentric one. A SC is formed along the total length of the Y chromosome, and this SC persists along all the pachytene substages. A single recombi-nation nodule (RN) is located in the region of the se nearest to the attachment to the nuclear envelope. The lateral element (LE) of the X axis in the SC shows a wavy aspect in most of the se length distant from the nuclear envelope. Nucleoli are attached to acrocentric or submetacentric bivalents, are visibly double in some cells , and in thin sections show an elaborate nucleolonema. Some differences in the XY are species-specific, as the higher degree of tangling and stronger heteropycnosis in D. hybridus. The effective, single crossover of the XY pair is highly localized, despite the permanence of a long tract of SC(AU)

Synaptonemal complexes and XY behavior in two species of argentinian armadillos: Chaetophractus villosus and Dasypus hybridus (Xenarthra, Dasypodidae)

Spermatocytes from the two armadillo species, C. villosus and D. hybridus were studied in microspreads for synaptonemal complexes (SCs) and in thin sections for electron microscopy (EM). The complete se karyotype generally agrees with previous reports on mitotic chromosomes, except for the sex chromosomes. The X chromosome is submetacentric in both species and the Y is the shortest one in C. villosus and the second shortest in D. hybridus, and an extremely acrocentric one. A SC is formed along the total length of the Y chromosome, and this SC persists along all the pachytene substages. A single recombi-nation nodule (RN) is located in the region of the se nearest to the attachment to the nuclear envelope. The lateral element (LE) of the X axis in the SC shows a wavy aspect in most of the se length distant from the nuclear envelope. Nucleoli are attached to acrocentric or submetacentric bivalents, are visibly double in some cells , and in thin sections show an elaborate nucleolonema. Some differences in the XY are species-specific, as the higher degree of tangling and stronger heteropycnosis in D. hybridus. The effective, single crossover of the XY pair is highly localized, despite the permanence of a long tract of SC

Heteromorphic sex chromosome system with an exceptionally large Y chromosome in a catfish Steindachneridion sp. (Pimelodidae).

The chromosomes and banding patterns of Steindachneridion sp., a large catfish (Pimelodidae), endemic to the Iguaçu River, Brazil, were analyzed using conventional (C-, G-banding) and restriction enzyme banding methods. The same diploid number (2n = 56) as in other members of the genus and the family was found but the karyotype displayed an XX/XY sex chromosome system. The X chromosome was the smallest submetacentric, while the Y was the largest chromosome in the karyotype. Meiotic analysis showed 27 autosomal bivalents plus one heteromorphic XY bivalent during spermatogenesis. Sex chromosomes had no particular pattern after C-banding but G- and restriction enzyme bandings showed specific banding characteristics. The present finding represents the first report of a well-differentiated and uncommon sex chromosome system in the catfish family Pimelodidae.