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Karyology of the Antarctic chiton Nuttallochiton mirandus (Thiele, 1906) (Mollusca: Polyplacophora) with some considerations on chromosome evolution in chitons

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Abstract

We describe the karyotype, location of nucleolus-organizing regions (NORs) and heterochromatin distribution and composition in the Antarctic chiton Nuttallochiton mirandus. Specimens had a karyotype of 2n = 32 chromosomes, of which two were microchromosomes. Among macrochromosomes, the elements of the first and fourth pair were bi-armed, the others were telocentric. At least six NOR sites were detected with NOR-FISH, but only four were Ag-NOR-banding-positive. The two microchromosomes were essentially euchromatic, while all macrochromosomes exhibited clear pericentromeric C bands that were found to be AT-rich (being quinacrine- and DAPI-positive) and resistant to digestion with AluI and HaeIII. N. mirandus has the largest number of chromosomes (2n = 32) and telocentric elements (26) of all the chiton species studied to date. The karyological results of our study agree with previous molecular data indicating N. mirandus as a sister taxon of Acanthochitona crinita. The karyotypes of the two species could be related as a result of Robertsonian rearrangements. According to the more parsimonious hypothesis, the former would be the primitive karyotype, although other evolutionary events cannot be ruled out.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Biologia Strutturale e Funzionale, Università di Napoli ‘Federico II’, Via Cinthia, 80126, Napoli, Italy

    Gaetano Odierna & Gennaro Aprea

  2. Istituto di Biologia e Genetica, Università Politecnica delle Marche, via Brecce Bianche, 60131, Ancona, Italy

    Marco Barucca, Maria Assunta Biscotti, Adriana Canapa & Ettore Olmo

  3. Dipartimento delle Scienze Biologiche, Università di Napoli ‘Federico II’, Via Mezzocannone 8, 80134, Napoli, Italy

    Teresa Capriglione

Authors
  1. Gaetano Odierna
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  2. Gennaro Aprea
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  3. Marco Barucca
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  4. Maria Assunta Biscotti
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  5. Adriana Canapa
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  6. Teresa Capriglione
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  7. Ettore Olmo
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Correspondence to Adriana Canapa.

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Odierna, G., Aprea, G., Barucca, M. et al. Karyology of the Antarctic chiton Nuttallochiton mirandus (Thiele, 1906) (Mollusca: Polyplacophora) with some considerations on chromosome evolution in chitons. Chromosome Res 16, 899–906 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10577-008-1247-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10577-008-1247-1

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