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Sex-chromosome pairing through heterochromatin in the African rodent Lemniscomys barbarus (Rodentia, Muridae). A synaptonemal complex study

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Abstract

Giemsa-stained spread preparations and microspread preparations of Lemniscomys barbarus spermatocytes were made to investigate the meiotic behaviour of the peculiar sex chromosomes of this species. A typical sex vesicle is absent, as the X and Y chromosomes appear unfolded at zygotene and pachytene. In most cells, the sex chromosomes are associated at distal segments at metaphase I, probably as a consequence of a distal chiasma. The pairing segment is located in the heterochromatic regions of both sex chromosomes, which include silent ribosomal cistrons interspersed throughout the heterochromatin. This may suggest a possible involvement of ribosomal genes in both pairing and recombination processes. X–Y pairing proceeds beyond the pseudoautosomal region, thus involving heterologous segments of the differential regions, a fact that is clearly evident at the Y centromeric region.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Genética, Facaltad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, 18071, Granada, Spain

    S. Stitou, R. Jiménez, R. Díaz de la Guardia & M. Burgos

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  1. S. Stitou
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  2. R. Jiménez
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  3. R. Díaz de la Guardia
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  4. M. Burgos
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Stitou, S., Jiménez, R., Díaz de la Guardia, R. et al. Sex-chromosome pairing through heterochromatin in the African rodent Lemniscomys barbarus (Rodentia, Muridae). A synaptonemal complex study. Chromosome Res 8, 277–283 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009233825758

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009233825758

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