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Resolution of sex chromosome constitution by genomic in situ hybridization and fluorescence in situ hybridization with (TTAGG) n telomeric probe in some species of Lepidoptera

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Abstract

We have developed a simple method to resolve the sex chromosome constitution in females of Lepidoptera by using a combination of genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) and fluorescence in situ hybridization with (TTAGG) n telomeric probe (telomere-FISH). In pachytene configurations of sex chromosomes, GISH differentiated W heterochromatin and telomere-FISH detected the chromosome ends. With this method we showed that Antheraea yamamai has a standard system with a fully differentiated W–Z sex chromosome pair. In Orgyia antiqua, we confirmed the presence of neo-W and neo-Z chromosomes, which most probably originated by fusion of the ancestral W and Z with an autosome pair. In contrast to earlier data, Orgyia thyellina females displayed a neo-ZW1W2 sex chromosome constitution. A neo-WZ1Z2 trivalent was found in females of Samia cynthia subsp. indet., originating from a population in Nagano, Japan. Whereas another subspecies collected in Sapporo, Japan, and determined as S. cynthia walkeri, showed a neo-W/neo-Z bivalent similar to O. antiqua, and the subspecies S. cynthia ricini showed a Z univalent (a Z/ZZ system). The combination of GISH and telomere-FISH enabled us to acquire not only reliable information about sex chromosome constitution but also an insight into sex chromosome evolution in Lepidoptera.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Drs. Toru Shimada (Tokyo University, Tokyo, Japan) and Hitoshi Saito (Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto, Japan) for providing broods of cynthia silk moths. Our thanks also go to Dr. Issei Ohshima (Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan) for identification of S. cynthia walkeri. K.S. was supported by grant-in-aid for scientific research 15380227 of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) and from the Insect Technology Project 2013 of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in Japan, Tokyo. F.M. was supported by grant A6007307 of the Grant Agency of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague. Finally, we acknowledge the research fellowship given to F.M. from JSPS in 2003.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Applied Bioscience, Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University N9, W9, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-8589, Japan

    Atsuo Yoshido & Ken Sahara

  2. Institute of Entomology ASCR, 370 05, České Budĕjovice, Czech Republic

    František Marec

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  1. Atsuo Yoshido
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Correspondence to Ken Sahara.

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Communicated by E.A. Nigg

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Yoshido, A., Marec, F. & Sahara, K. Resolution of sex chromosome constitution by genomic in situ hybridization and fluorescence in situ hybridization with (TTAGG) n telomeric probe in some species of Lepidoptera. Chromosoma 114, 193–202 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00412-005-0013-9

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