Hybrid sterility genes in mice (Mus musculus): a peculiar case of PRDM9 incompatibility
Abstract
Hybrid sterility is a critical step in the evolution of reproductive barriers between diverging taxa during the process of speciation. Recent studies of young subspecies of the house mouse revealed a multigenic nature and frequent polymorphism of hybrid sterility genes as well as the recurrent engagement of the meiosis-specific gene PR domain-containing 9 (Prdm9) and X-linked loci. Prdm9-controlled hybrid sterility is essentially chromosomal in nature, conditioned by the sequence divergence between subspecies. Depending on the Prdm9 interallelic interactions and the X-linked Hstx2 locus, the same homologs either regularly recombine and synapse, or show impaired DNA DSB repair, asynapsis, and early meiotic arrest. Thus, Prdm9-dependent hybrid sterility points to incompatibilities affecting meiotic recombination as a possible mechanism of reproductive isolation between (sub)species.
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Comparative genomic evidence in cats and house mice suggests that some regions on the X chromosome are 'protected' from recombination, causing hybrid male offspring to be sterile if altered, thereby reinforcing the distinction among lineages.
“For example, comparative genomic evidence in cats (Bredemeyer et al. 2021) and house mice (Forejt et al. 2021) suggests that some regions on the X chromosome are “protected” from recombination, causing hybrid male offspring to be sterile if altered, thereby reinforcing the distinction among lineages.”
From How many mammal species are there now? Updates and trends in taxonomic, nomenclatural, and geographic knowledge (2025) · cites this paper as Forejt et al. 2021
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Mouse genomic variation and its effect on phenotypes and gene regulation.
Keane, T. M., Goodstadt, L., Danecek, P., White, M. A., Wong, K., Yalcin, B., Heger, A., Agam, A., Slater, G., Goodson, M., et al. (2011) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature10413 · Cited by 1,580 · see citing works
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Burgin, C. J., Zijlstra, J. S., Becker, M. A., Handika, H., Alston, J. M., Widness, J., Liphardt, S., Huckaby, D. G., & Upham, N. S. (2025) · Journal of Mammalogy · doi:10.1093/jmammal/gyaf047 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
- Authors
- Forejt, J., Jansa, P., & Parvanov, E.
- Affiliations
- Czech Academy of Sciences (CZ)
- Venue
- Trends in Genetics
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2021-12
- Volume
- 37
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- 1095-1108
- ISSN
- 0168-9525 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W3177680106
- Cited by
- 38
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 1
- FWCI
- 0.67
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- Locations
- Trends in Genetics (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Grantová Agentura České Republiky (20-04075S)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › Chromosomal and Genetic Variations
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetic and Clinical Aspects of Sex Determination and Chromosomal Abnormalities
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
- Keywords
- hybrid sterility, PRDM9, house mouse, Mus musculus, speciation, reproductive isolation, meiotic recombination, DNA double-strand break repair, asynapsis, meiotic arrest, sequence divergence
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Infertility, Male, Meiosis, Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase, Mice, Homologous Recombination, Reproductive Isolation
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