An X-linked sex determination mechanism in cannabis and hop
Sarah B. Carey, Philip C. Bentz, John T. Lovell, Laramie M. Akozbek, Zachary A. Myers, Walid Korani, Joshua S. Havill, Lillian Padgitt-Cobb, Ryan C. Lynch, Nicholas Allsing, Jack Mangels, Zachary Stansell, George M. Stack, Tyler Gordon, Austin Osmanski, Katherine A. Easterling, Leonardo R. Orozco, Zach E. Marcus, Haley Hale, Hannah McCoy, Zachary Meharg, Jane Grimwood, Lawrence B. Smart, Daniela Vergara, Rafael F. Guerrero, Nolan C. Kane, Rich Fletcher, John K. McKay, Todd P. Michael, Gary J. Muehlbauer, Josh Clevenger, Alex Harkess
Nature Communications · 2026
Presents phased sex-chromosome assemblies for Cannabis sativa and Humulus lupulus and dates the origin of their shared XY pair to roughly 36 million years ago, before the two genera diverged. The Y chromosome is heavily degenerated and carries no clear sex-determining gene. The authors instead attribute female inflorescence fate to an X-linked homologue of aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate synthase, placing the ethylene pathway at the centre of the mechanism. The finding bears directly on the treatment of sex determination and dioecy in Cannabis.
2026-05-26
2026-08-08
An X-linked sex determination mechanism in cannabis and hop
Journal article
Sarah B. Carey, Philip C. Bentz, John T. Lovell, Laramie M. Akozbek, Zachary A. Myers, Walid Korani, Joshua S. Havill, Lillian Padgitt-Cobb, Ryan C. Lynch, Nicholas Allsing, Jack Mangels, Zachary Stansell, George M. Stack, Tyler Gordon, Austin Osmanski, Katherine A. Easterling, Leonardo R. Orozco, Zach E. Marcus, Haley Hale, Hannah McCoy, Zachary Meharg, Jane Grimwood, Lawrence B. Smart, Daniela Vergara, Rafael F. Guerrero, Nolan C. Kane, Rich Fletcher, John K. McKay, Todd P. Michael, Gary J. Muehlbauer, Josh Clevenger, Alex Harkess
Nature Communications
2026
10.1038/s41467-026-73233-7
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-73233-7
Presents phased sex-chromosome assemblies for Cannabis sativa and Humulus lupulus and dates the origin of their shared XY pair to roughly 36 million years ago, before the two genera diverged. The Y chromosome is heavily degenerated and carries no clear sex-determining gene. The authors instead attribute female inflorescence fate to an X-linked homologue of aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate synthase, placing the ethylene pathway at the centre of the mechanism. The finding bears directly on the treatment of sex determination and dioecy in Cannabis.
