- Janečka, Jan E;
- Davis, Brian W;
- Ghosh, Sharmila;
- Paria, Nandina;
- Das, Pranab J;
- Orlando, Ludovic;
- Schubert, Mikkel;
- Nielsen, Martin K;
- Stout, Tom AE;
- Brashear, Wesley;
- Li, Gang;
- Johnson, Charles D;
- Metz, Richard P;
- Zadjali, Al Muatasim Al;
- Love, Charles C;
- Varner, Dickson D;
- Bellott, Daniel W;
- Murphy, William J;
- Chowdhary, Bhanu P;
- Raudsepp, Terje
Dynamic evolutionary processes and complex structure make the Y chromosome among the most diverse and least understood regions in mammalian genomes. Here, we present an annotated assembly of the male specific region of the horse Y chromosome (eMSY), representing the first comprehensive Y assembly in odd-toed ungulates. The eMSY comprises single-copy, equine specific multi-copy, PAR transposed, and novel ampliconic sequence classes. The eMSY gene density approaches that of autosomes with the highest number of retained X-Y gametologs recorded in eutherians, in addition to novel Y-born and transposed genes. Horse, donkey and mule testis RNAseq reveals several candidate genes for stallion fertility. A novel testis-expressed XY ampliconic sequence class, ETSTY7, is shared with the parasite Parascaris genome, providing evidence for eukaryotic horizontal transfer and inter-chromosomal mobility. Our study highlights the dynamic nature of the Y and provides a reference sequence for improved understanding of equine male development and fertility.