Abstract
Metaphase chromosomes of the grasshopper Oedipoda germanica were treated with AluI, DdeI, HaeIII, HinfI, HpaII, MboI, MspI, Sau3A and TaqI restriction endonucleases (REs) and subsequently stained with Giemsa. C-banding and flurochromes of different base pair specificities (DA-DAPI or CMA3) were also used to localize and characterize the heterochromatin. Results indicate that (a) the large blocks of paracentromeric heterochromatin are heterogeneous within each chromosome. This heterogeneity is homogeneously distributed among almost all chromosomes of the genome. (b) The use of REs on fixed chromatin gives rise to a banding pattern not completely correlated with that obtained with C-banding; (c) heterochromatin associated with active NORs displays distinct characteristics: GC-rich (positive CMA3), high frequency of the restriction site CC GG, specific for MspI and HpaII, and low levels of methylation in the internal cytosine.
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Lopez-Fernandez, C., Gosalvez, J. & Mezzanotte, R. Heterochromatin heterogeneity in Oedipoda germanica (Orthoptera) detected by in situ digestion with restriction endonucleases. Heredity 62, 269–277 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.1989.38
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.1989.38
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