Independent intrachromosomal recombination events underlie the pericentric inversions of chimpanzee and gorilla chromosomes homologous to human chromosome 16.

ABSTRACT: Analyses of chromosomal rearrangements that have occurred during the evolution of the hominoids can reveal much about the mutational mechanisms underlying primate chromosome evolution. We characterized the breakpoints of the pericentric inversion of chimpanzee chromosome 18 (PTR XVI), which is homologous to human chromosome 16 (HSA 16). A conserved 23-kb inverted repeat composed of satellites, LINE and Alu elements was identified near the breakpoints and could have mediated the inversion by bringing the chromosomal arms into close proximity with each other, thereby facilitating intrachromosomal recombination. The exact positions of the breakpoints may then have been determined by local DNA sequence homologies between the inversion breakpoints, including a 22-base pair direct repeat. The si

SUBMITTER: Goidts V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1199537 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature