Abstract
We have investigated the organisation, nucleotide sequence, and chromosomal distribution of a tandemly repeated, satellite DNA from Allium cepa (Liliaceae). The satellite, which constitutes about 4% of the A. cepa genome, may be resolved from main-band DNA in antibiotic-CsCl density gradients, and has a repeat length of about 375 base pairs (bp). A cloned member of the repeat family hybridises exclusively to chromosome telomeres and has a non-random distribution in interphase nuclei. We present the nucleotide sequences of three repeats, which differ at a large number of positions. In addition to arrays made up of 375-bp repeats, homologous sequences are found in units with a greater repeat length. This divergence between repeats reflects the heterogeneity of the satellite determined using other criteria. Possible constraints on the interchromosomal exchange of repeated sequences are discussed.
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Barnes, S.R., James, A.M. & Jamieson, G. The organisation, nucleotide sequence, and chromosomal distribution of a satellite DNA from Allium cepa . Chromosoma 92, 185–192 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00348692
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00348692