"Population Epigenomics of the Drosophila Y Chromosome"

The Drosophila Y chromosome is an unusual molecule. In D. melanogaster the chromosome is ~40 megabases, but harbors only ~14 protein coding genes. We have uncovered Y-linked regulatory variation: the quantitative effects that polymorphic tracts of Y-linked chromatin exert on gene regulation using both intra-specific and inter-specific Y chromosome introgression. Here we combine several datasets with ongoing experiments to provide insights into the mechanisms by which polymorphic Y chromosomes modulate genome-wide expression levels and epigenetic states.