Identification of Cryptic Sex Chromosomes and Isolation of X- and Y-Borne Genes

Comparative molecular cytogenetics provides a powerful tool for deciphering the evolutionary history of vertebrate sex chromosomes. We have adapted cell culture and molecular cytogenetic techniques to study the sex chromosomes of many exotic mammals, birds, and reptiles. Here we describe differential chromosome banding and staining techniques that distinguish sex chromosomes in species with no morphologically distinct XY or ZW chromosome pairs. We describe a method to isolate, identify, and map genomic BAC clones from the Y chromosome, and we also identify strategies for isolating candidate sex chromosome genes.