Lizards as model organisms of sex chromosome evolution: What we really know from a systematic distribution of available data?

M Mezzasalma, FM Guarino, G Odierna - Genes, 2021 - mdpi.com
Lizards represent unique model organisms in the study of sex determination and sex
chromosome evolution. Among tetrapods, they are characterized by an unparalleled …

Sex chromosomes and master sex-determining genes in turtles and other reptiles

D Thépot - Genes, 2021 - mdpi.com
Among tetrapods, the well differentiated heteromorphic sex chromosomes of birds and
mammals have been highly investigated and their master sex-determining (MSD) gene …

Chromosome-Level Genome Assembly Reveals Dynamic Sex Chromosomes in Neotropical Leaf-Litter Geckos (Sphaerodactylidae: Sphaerodactylus)

BJ Pinto, SE Keating, SV Nielsen… - Journal of …, 2022 - academic.oup.com
Sex determination is a critical element of successful vertebrate development, suggesting that
sex chromosome systems might be evolutionarily stable across lineages. For example …

Microchromosome fusions underpin convergent evolution of chameleon karyotypes

M Mezzasalma, JW Streicher, FM Guarino… - …, 2023 - academic.oup.com
Evolutionary shifts in chromosome compositions (karyotypes) are major drivers of lineage
and genomic diversification. Fusion of ancestral chromosomes is one hypothesized …

First Insights on the Karyotype Diversification of the Endemic Malagasy Leaf-Toed Geckos (Squamata: Gekkonidae: Uroplatus)

M Mezzasalma, E Brunelli, G Odierna, FM Guarino - Animals, 2022 - mdpi.com
Simple Summary The geckos of the genus Uroplatus include peculiar endemic species to
Madagascar. Even though they have been the subject of several morphological and …

Evolutionary and genomic diversity of true polyploidy in tetrapods

M Mezzasalma, E Brunelli, G Odierna, FM Guarino - Animals, 2023 - mdpi.com
Simple Summary Polyploidization, or whole-genome duplication (WGD), represents a
dramatic event in evolution. Although its occurrence is much rarer in animals than in plants …

Interstitial telomeric repeats are rare in turtles

L Clemente, S Mazzoleni, E Pensabene Bellavia… - Genes, 2020 - mdpi.com
Telomeres are nucleoprotein complexes protecting chromosome ends in most eukaryotic
organisms. In addition to chromosome ends, telomeric-like motifs can be accumulated in …

Heteromorphic ZZ/ZW sex chromosomes sharing gene content with mammalian XX/XY are conserved in Madagascan chameleons of the genus Furcifer

M Rovatsos, S Mazzoleni, B Augstenová… - Scientific Reports, 2024 - nature.com
Chameleons are well-known lizards with unique morphology and physiology, but their sex
determination has remained poorly studied. Madagascan chameleons of the genus Furcifer …

Comparative cytogenetics of Hemorrhois hippocrepis and Malpolon monspessulanus highlights divergent karyotypes in Colubridae and Psammophiidae (Squamata …

M Mezzasalma, E Brunelli, G Odierna… - The European …, 2023 - Taylor & Francis
Despite the growing interest in the evolutionary cytogenetics of squamates, chromosomal
data are lacking for most taxa. We performed a preliminary molecular taxonomic analysis …

Chromosome Diversity and Evolution of the Endemic Malagasy Velvet Geckos of the Genus Blaesodactylus (Reptilia, Gekkonidae)

M Mezzasalma, E Brunelli, G Odierna, FM Guarino - Animals, 2023 - mdpi.com
Simple Summary We implemented a molecular and phylogenetic analysis and a
comparative karyological investigation with standard and chromosome banding methods on …