noun

• (in humans and other mammals) a sex chromosome which is normally present only in male cells, which are designated XY.

  Compare with X chromosome

  ‘If a gene on the Y chromosome mutates, that piece of the male genetic code may disappear.’

  More example sentences

  • ‘Genes in the second group are expressed exclusively in testes and form gene families on the Y chromosome.’
  • ‘Bone marrow derived cells were identified by the presence of the Y chromosome, ordinarily found only in males.’
  • ‘This is particularly so for sheltered chromosomes without recombination such as the Y chromosome in mammals.’
  • ‘Evidence for concerted evolution of repeated sequences on the human Y chromosome has recently been presented.’