Structural variations of subterminal satellite blocks and their source mechanisms as inferred from the meiotic configurations of chimpanzee chromosome termini.

African great apes have large constitutive heterochromatin (C-band) blocks in subtelomeric regions of the majority of their chromosomes, but humans lack these. Additionally, the chimpanzee meiotic cell division process demonstrates unique partial terminal associations in the first meiotic prophase (pachytene). These are likely formed as a result of interaction among subtelomeric C-band blocks.

Considerable Synteny and Sequence Similarity of Primate Chromosomal Region VIIq31.

Human chromosome 7 has been the focus of many behavioral, genetic, and medical studies because it carries genes related to cancer and neurodevelopment. We examined the evolution of the chromosome 7 homologs, and the 7q31 region in particular, using chromosome painting analyses and 3 paint probes derived from (i) the whole of chimpanzee chromosome VII (wcVII), (ii) human 7q31 (h7q31), and (iii) the chimpanzee homolog VIIq31 (cVIIq31). The wcVII probe was used instead of the whole human chromosome 7 because the chimpanzee contains additional C-bands and revealed large areas of synteny conservation as well as fragmentation across 20 primate species.

Co-Opted Megasatellite DNA Drives Evolution of Secondary Night Vision in Azara's Owl Monkey.

Owl monkeys (genus Aotus) are the only taxon in simian primates that consists of nocturnal or otherwise cathemeral species. Their night vision is superior to that of other monkeys, apes, and humans but not as good as that of typical nocturnal mammals. This incomplete night vision has been used to conclude that these monkeys only secondarily adapted to a nocturnal lifestyle, or to their cathemeral lifestyle that involves high night-time activity.

Night Monkey Hybrids Exhibit De Novo Genomic and Karyotypic Alterations: The First Such Case in Primates.

Using molecular chromosomal analyses, we discovered night monkey hybrids produced in captivity from matings between a female Aotus azarae boliviensis (2n = 50) and a male Aotus lemurinus griseimembra (2n = 53). The parents produced seven offspring in total, including one male and six females-a pattern consistent with Haldane's rule. Chromosomal studies were conducted on four of the hybrid offspring.

Hypervariability of Nucleolus Organizer Regions in Bengal Slow Lorises, Nycticebus bengalensis (Primates, Lorisidae).

Slow lorises are a cryptic species complex, and thus genetic markers are needed to identify distinct evolutionary lineages or species. We examined the nucleolus organizer regions (NORs) of Bengal slow lorises (Nycticebus bengalensis) using FISH with 18S rDNA (rDNA-FISH) and silver nitrate staining (Ag-NOR stain). Ten individuals of the putatively single species N.

Higher-order repeat structure in alpha satellite DNA occurs in New World monkeys and is not confined to hominoids.

Centromeres usually contain large amounts of tandem repeat DNA. Alpha satellite DNA (AS) is the most abundant tandem repeat DNA found in the centromeres of simian primates. The AS of humans contains sequences organized into higher-order repeat (HOR) structures, which are tandem arrays of larger repeat units consisting of multiple basic repeat units.

Locational diversity of alpha satellite DNA and intergeneric hybridization aspects in the Nomascus and Hylobates genera of small apes.

Recently, we discovered that alpha satellite DNA has unique and genus-specific localizations on the chromosomes of small apes. This study describes the details of alpha satellite localization in the genera Nomascus and Hylobates and explores their usefulness in distinguishing parental genome sets in hybrids between these genera. Fluorescence in situ hybridization was used to establish diagnostic criteria of alpha satellite DNA markers in discriminating small ape genomes.

Evolutionary origin of higher-order repeat structure in alpha-satellite DNA of primate centromeres.

Alpha-satellite DNA (AS) is a main DNA component of primate centromeres, consisting of tandemly repeated units of ~170 bp. The AS of humans contains sequences organized into higher-order repeat (HOR) structures, in which a block of multiple repeat units forms a larger repeat unit and the larger units are repeated tandemly. The presence of HOR in AS is widely thought to be unique to hominids (family Hominidae; humans and great apes).

The first finding of chromosome variations in wild-born western hoolock gibbons.

Hoolock gibbons (genus Hoolock) are a group of very endangered primate species that belong to the small ape family (family Hylobatidae). The entire population that is distributed in the northeast and southeast of Bangladesh is estimated to include only around 350 individuals. A conservation program is thus necessary as soon as possible.

Higher-order repeat structure in alpha satellite DNA is an attribute of hominoids rather than hominids.

Alpha satellite DNA (AS), a major DNA component of primate centromeres, is composed of a tandem array of repeat units of approximately 170 bp. The AS of hominids (family Hominidae; humans and great apes) includes sequences organized into higher-order repeat (HOR) structures, with a periodic appearance of multiple copies of the basic repeat units. Here, we identified an HOR in AS of the siamang, a small ape phylogenetically distinct from hominids but included in hominoids (superfamily Hominoidea).

Heterochromatin blocks constituting the entire short arms of acrocentric chromosomes of Azara's owl monkey: formation processes inferred from chromosomal locations.

Centromeres and telomeres of higher eukaryotes generally contain repetitive sequences, which often form pericentric or subtelomeric heterochromatin blocks. C-banding analysis of chromosomes of Azara's owl monkey, a primate species, showed that the short arms of acrocentric chromosomes consist mostly or solely of constitutive heterochromatin. The purpose of the present study was to determine which category, pericentric, or subtelomeric is most appropriate for this heterochromatin, and to infer its formation processes.

Two types of alpha satellite DNA in distinct chromosomal locations in Azara's owl monkey.

Alpha satellite DNA is a repetitive sequence known to be a major DNA component of centromeres in primates (order Primates). New World monkeys form one major taxon (parvorder Platyrrhini) of primates, and their alpha satellite DNA is known to comprise repeat units of around 340 bp. In one species (Azara's owl monkey Aotus azarae) of this taxon, we identified two types of alpha satellite DNA consisting of 185- and 344-bp repeat units that we designated as OwlAlp1 and OwlAlp2, respectively.

In situ hybridization analysis of gibbon chromosomes suggests that amplification of alpha satellite DNA in the telomere region is confined to two of the four genera.

The siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus), a species of the family Hylobatidae (gibbons), carries large blocks of constitutive heterochromatin in the telomere region of chromosomes. We recently found that alpha satellite DNA constitutes these heterochromatin blocks as a main component. Alpha satellite DNA, tandem repeat sequences of 171-bp repeat units, is a major component of centromeres in primates.

A novel composite retrotransposon derived from or generated independently of the SVA (SINE/VNTR/Alu) transposon has undergone proliferation in gibbon genomes.

The superfamily Hominoidea (hominoids) comprises two families: Hominidae (hominids) and Hylobatidae (gibbons, also called small apes). The SVA transposon is a composite retrotransposon that occurs widely in hominoids and is considered to have been generated by stepwise fusions of three genetic elements: SINE-R, a variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) sequence, and Alu. We identified a novel transposon whose basic structure is the same as that of SVA, with one prominent difference being the presence of part of prostaglandin reductase 2 (PTGR2) in place of SINE-R.

Tandem repeat sequences evolutionarily related to SVA-type retrotransposons are expanded in the centromere region of the western hoolock gibbon, a small ape.

Hoolock hoolock (the western hoolock gibbon) is a species of the family Hylobatidae (small apes), which constitutes the superfamily Hominoidea (hominoids) together with Hominidae (great apes and human). Here, we report that centromeres or their vicinities in this gibbon species contain tandem repeat sequences that consist of 35-50-bp repeat units, and exhibit a sequence similarity with the variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) region of the SVA, LAVA and PVA transposons. SVA is a composite retrotransposon thought to have been formed by fusion of three solo elements in the common ancestor of hominoids.

Evolution of sex chromosomes ZW of Schistosoma mansoni inferred from chromosome paint and BAC mapping analyses.

Chromosomes of schistosome parasites among digenetic flukes have a unique evolution because they exhibit the sex chromosomes ZW, which are not found in the other groups of flukes that are hermaphrodites. We conducted molecular cytogenetic analyses for investigating the sex chromosome evolution using chromosome paint analysis and BAC clones mapping. To carry this out, we developed a technique for making paint probes of genomic DNA from a single scraped chromosome segment using a chromosome microdissection system, and a FISH mapping technique for BAC clones.

B chromosomes have a functional effect on female sex determination in Lake Victoria cichlid fishes.

The endemic cichlid fishes in Lake Victoria are a model system for speciation through adaptive radiation. Although the evolution of the sex-determination system may also play a role in speciation, little is known about the sex-determination system of Lake Victoria cichlids. To understand the evolution of the sex-determination system in these fish, we performed cytogenetic analysis in 11 cichlid species from Lake Victoria.

Frequent gene conversion events between the X and Y homologous chromosomal regions in primates.

Background: Mammalian sex-chromosomes originated from a pair of autosomes. A step-wise cessation of recombination is necessary for the proper maintenance of sex-determination and, consequently, generates a four strata structure on the X chromosome. Each stratum shows a specific per-site nucleotide sequence difference (p-distance) between the X and Y chromosomes, depending on the time of recombination arrest.

Behavioral sleep in captive owl monkey (Aotus azarae) and squirrel monkey (Saimiri boliviensis).

The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that activity-behavioral sleep parameters differ between nocturnallyactive owl monkeys and diurnally-active squirrel monkeys which are sympatric and of Bolivian origin. The total sleep time (TST) and sleep episode length (SEL) of 7 adult owl monkey siblings and 4 adult squirrel monkeys were quantitated by actigraphy for 7 days under captive conditions. The higher TST/24 h values and longer SEL/12 h quiescent phase quantitated for owl monkeys in comparison to that of squirrel monkeys clearly indicate that the behavioral sleep is markedly different between these two groups, though they are sympatric in wild.

The genome of the blood fluke Schistosoma mansoni.

Schistosoma mansoni is responsible for the neglected tropical disease schistosomiasis that affects 210 million people in 76 countries. Here we present analysis of the 363 megabase nuclear genome of the blood fluke. It encodes at least 11,809 genes, with an unusual intron size distribution, and new families of micro-exon genes that undergo frequent alternative splicing.

A most distant intergeneric hybrid offspring (Larcon) of lesser apes, Nomascus leucogenys and Hylobates lar.

Unlike humans, which are the sole remaining representatives of a once larger group of bipedal apes (hominins), the "lesser apes" (hylobatids) are a diverse radiation with numerous extant species. Consequently, the lesser apes can provide a valuable evolutionary window onto the possible interactions (e.g.

Schistosome egg production is dependent upon the activities of two developmentally regulated tyrosinases.

Egg production is responsible for life cycle progression and host immunopathology during schistosomiasis, with the associated parasite molecules being investigated as potential novel chemotherapeutic targets. Here, we characterize two Schistosoma mansoni products, tyrosinase 1 and tyrosinase 2 (SmTYR1/SmTYR2) and show that their diphenol oxidase enzyme activities are critical for eggshell formation and production. The genes encoding these bifunctional enzymes (monophenol and diphenol oxidases) result from a duplication event that likely occurred before speciation and exist in the parasite's genome as multiple copies, which are linked and localized to chromosomes 4 and W.

Preparation of modified oligonucleotides by the post-synthetic modification on resin method.

We report the novel method that accomplishes many processes such as synthesis, modification, deprotection, washing, on the solid support. Using polymers with a novel linker, oligonucleotides has been synthesized on a DNA synthesizer by the established procedures, then the polymer was treated in alkaline solutions for removing the protection groups. Since the linker is stable in alkaline solutions, oligonucleotides were still connected to the polymers.

Synthesis and properties of the aromatic clusters arrayed along DNA strands.

Functional groups arrayed along DNA strands have been expected to show unique properties that are different from those monomers. Oligonucleotides carrying multi-pyrene groups arrayed along DNA strands showed strong excimer fluorescence emission intensities. The oligonucleotides carrying pyrene groups are surmised to be in single stranded forms in solutions.

Patterns of C-heterochromatin and telomeric DNA in two representative groups of small apes, the genera Hylobates and Symphalangus.

The course of chromosome evolution in small apes is still not clear, though painting analyses have opened the way for elucidating the puzzle. Even the C-banding pattern of the lar-group of gibbons (the genus Hylobates) is not clarified yet, although our previous studies suggested that lar-group gibbons have a unique C-banding pattern. We therefore made observations to establish C-banded karyotypes of the agile gibbons included in the lar-group.