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Review

Nature Reviews Genetics 2, 207–216 (1 March 2001) | doi:10.1038/35056058

The human Y chromosome, in the light of evolution

Bruce T. Lahn , Nathaniel M. Pearson & Karin Jegalian

Most eukaryotic chromosomes, akin to messy toolboxes, store jumbles of genes with diverse biological uses. The linkage of a gene to a particular chromosome therefore rarely hints strongly at that gene's function. One striking exception to this pattern of gene distribution is the human Y chromosome. Far from being random and diverse, known human Y-chromosome genes show just a few distinct expression profiles. Their relative functional conformity reflects evolutionary factors inherent to sex-specific chromosomes.