Total centromere size and genome size are strongly correlated in ten grass species.

ABSTRACT: It has been known for decades that centromere size varies across species, but the factors involved in setting centromere boundaries are unknown. As a means to address this question, we estimated centromere sizes in ten species of the grass family including rice, maize, and wheat, which diverged 60~80 million years ago and vary by 40-fold in genome size. Measurements were made using a broadly reactive antibody to rice centromeric histone H3 (CENH3). In species-wide comparisons, we found a clear linear relationship between total centromere size and genome size. Species with large genomes and few chromosomes tend to have the largest centromeres (e.g., rye) while species with small genomes and many chromosomes have the smallest centromeres (e.g., rice). However, within a species, centromere si

SUBMITTER: Zhang H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3391362 | biostudies-literature | 2012 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature