The secret of evolution in papaya chromosomes

2004/03/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Eboluzioa

The papaya plant, Carica papaya, discovers that it can help explain the evolution of sexual chromosomes.

This plant is really unique, as it has flowers of three sexes: females, males and hermaphrodites. The Y chromosome of acidic and hermaphroditic flowers is similar to the X chromosome, but with fewer genes. The genes that determine sex are only 10%.

Researchers believe that the papaya Y chromosome is the precursor of the animal Y chromosome. And it seems that this study is also the starting point to show that sexual chromosomes developed from autosomes, not sexual chromosomes.