[Dicentric Y chromosome]

Abstract

Dicentric Y chromosomes are the most common Y structural abnormalities and their influence on gonadal and somatic development is extremely variable. Here, we report the third comprehensive review of the literature concerning dicentric Y chromosomes reported since 1994. We find 78 new cases for which molecular studies (PCR or FISH) have been widely applied to investigate SRY (68% of cases), GBY, ZFY, RFS4Y, GCY and different genes at AZF region. For dic(Yq), all cases (n = 20) were mosaic for 45,X and 4 of them were also mosaic for a 46,XY cell line. When breakpoints were available (15/20 cases), they were in Yp11. 50% of cases were phenotypic female and 20% phenotypic male while 20% of cases were reported with gonadal dysgenesis. Gonadal histology was defined in 8 cases but only in one case, gonadal tissu was genetically investigated because of gonadoblastoma. For dic(Yp) (n = 55), mosaicism concerned only 45,X cell line and was found in 50 cases while the remainder five cases were homogeneous. When breakpoints were available, it was at Yq11 in 50 cases and at Yq12 in two cases. 54% of cases were phenotypic female, 26% were phenotypic male and 18% were associated with genitalia ambiguous. SRY was analyzed in 33 cases, sequenced in 9 cases and was muted in only one case. Gonads were histologically explored in 34 cases and genetically investigated in 8 cases. Gonadoblastoma was found in only two cases. Through this review, it seems that phenotype-genotype correlations are still not possible and that homogeneous studies of dic(Y) in more patients using molecular tools for structural characterization of the rearranged Y chromosome and assessment of mosaicism in many organs are necessary to clarify the basis of the phenotypic heterogeneity of dicentric Y chromosomes and then to help phenotypic prediction of such chromosome rearrangement.