The crucial ‘Y chromosome’that determines the gender of a child is not only responsible for the male gender but it plays a very important role in their survival.
The study is seen as a major breakthrough as it has discarded a general belief that men are at risk of dying.
A new study carried by the researchers from the Washington University and Baylor College of Medicine analyzed the genetic composition of Y chromosome and found that the genes is linked together to decrease disease vulnerability.
In a press release Whitehead Institute Director David Page said, “This paper tells us that not only is the Y chromosome here to stay, but that we need to take it seriously, and not just in the reproductive tract.”
According to the researchers, the Y chromosome has genes that are manifested by tissues and body organs that play a vital role in understanding the composition of male genome and helps them in improving their survival skills.
For deriving the conclusion, the researchers carried a comparative study of the Y chromosome of a human being, a rhesus monkey and a chimpanzee. After the comparison, the researchers discovered that the Y chromosome has let go of one ancestral gene after 25 million years. The researchers again compared the Y chromosome of a more diverse set- rat, mouse, bull, opossum and marmoset. The findings were consistent for these animals.
“Evolution is telling us these genes are really important for survival,” research scientist Page’s lab, Winston Bellott, said in a press release.
This study was published in the April issue of Nature.