Satellite DNA from the Y chromosome of the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae.

ABSTRACT: Satellite DNA is an enigmatic component of genomic DNA with unclear function that has been regarded as "junk." Yet, persistence of these tandem highly repetitive sequences in heterochromatic regions of most eukaryotic chromosomes attests to their importance in the genome. We explored the Anopheles gambiae genome for the presence of satellite repeats and identified 12 novel satellite DNA families. Certain families were found in close juxtaposition within the genome. Six satellites, falling into two evolutionarily linked groups, were investigated in detail. Four of them were experimentally confirmed to be linked to the Y chromosome, whereas their relatives occupy centromeric regions of either the X chromosome or the autosomes. A complex evolutionary pattern was revealed among the AgY477-like

SUBMITTER: Krzywinski J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1448884 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature