Repetitive sequences originating from the centromere constitute large-scale heterochromatin in the telomere region in the siamang, a small ape.

ABSTRACT: Chromosomes of the siamang Symphalangus syndactylus (a small ape) carry large-scale heterochromatic structures at their ends. These structures look similar, by chromosome C-banding, to chromosome-end heterochromatin found in chimpanzee, bonobo and gorilla (African great apes), of which a major component is tandem repeats of 32-bp-long, AT-rich units. In the present study, we identified repetitive sequences that are a major component of the siamang heterochromatin. Their repeat units are 171 bp in length, and exhibit sequence similarity to alpha satellite DNA, a major component of the centromeres in primates. Thus, the large-scale heterochromatic structures have different origins between the great apes and the small ape. The presence of alpha satellite DNA in the telomere region has previou

SUBMITTER: Koga A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3424917 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature