Identification and patterns of synapsis of the autosomally translocated Y-chromosome of the Indian mongoose, Herpestes auropunctatus (Hodgson)

Abstract

The multiple sex chromosome system, X₁X₂Y♂/X₁X₁X₂X₂♀, in the small Indian mongoose, Herpestes auropunctatus, results from a translocation of a part of Y chromosome to an autosome. It is not possible to distinguish the autosome which harbours the Y chromosome element in the somatic complement. By employing the surface-spreading technique to prophase I meiocytes we have identified the region to which the Y chromosome has been translocated as the short arm of chromosome 9 which is a subtelocentric chromosome. This Y chromosome component lacks heterochromatin and no sex vesicle is organised during meiotic prophase. This suggests to us that Y heterochromatin in mammals may be required for the production of a sex vesicle.