Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

CpG islands of chicken are concentrated on microchromosomes

Nature Genetics volume 12, pages 321–324 (1996)Cite this article

Abstract

The chicken karyotype comprises 39 chromosome pairs of which at least 29 are ‘microchromosomes’. Microchromosomes account for about 25% of the genomic DMA, but they are cytologically indistinguishable from one another1. Due to technical limitations there is a strong bias of mapped genes within the chicken genome database ChickGBASE2 towards macrochromosomes 1–6 and Z, with specific assignments to only one microchromosome3,4. Several genes have, however, been assigned to the microchromosome group as a whole3,5–9, demonstrating that these tiny chromosomes do not represent genetically inert DNA. To determine the overall chromosomal distribution of genes, as well as to provide a mapping resource, we prepared a CpG island library from chicken using differential binding to a methyl-CpG binding column before and after de novo methylation10. Surprisingly, we found that chicken CpG islands are highly concentrated on the microchromosomes, whereas macrochromosomes 1–6 are comparatively gene-poor by this assay. Our results raise the possibility that gene density on chicken microchromosomes approaches the maximum value known for vertebrates.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Bloom, S.E., Delany, M.E. & Muscarella, D.E. Constant and variable features of avian chromosomes. In Manipulation of the avian genome (eds Etches, R.J. & Gibbons, A.M.V.) 39–59 (CRC Press, Florida, 1993).

  2. Burt, D.W., Bumstead, N., Bitgood, J.J., Ponce Deleon, F.A. & Crittenden, L.B. Chicken genome mapping: a new era in avian genetics. Tig. 11, 190–194 (1995).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Bloom, S.E. & Bacon, L.D. Linkage of the major histocompatability (B) complex and the nucleolar organiser in the chicken. J. Hereof. 76, 146–154 (1985).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Bumstead, N., Young, J.R., Tregaskes, C., Palyga, J. & Dunn, P.RJ. Linkage mapping and partial sequencing of ten cDNA loci in the chicken. Animal Genet. 25, 337–341 (1994).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Hughes, S.H. et al. Gene localization by chromosome fractionation: globin genes are on at least two chromosomes and three estrogen-inducible genes are on three chromosomes. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 76, 1348–1352 (1979).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Dominguez-Steglich, M., Meng, G., Bettecken, T., Muller, C. & Schmid, M. The dystrophin gene is autosomally located on a microchromosome in chicken. Genomics. 8, 536–540 (1990).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Dominguez-Steglich, M., Lichter, P., Carrier, A., Auffray, C. & Schmid, M. Mapping the |3NGF gene in situ to a microchromosome in chicken. Genomics. 12, 829–832 (1992).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Dominguez-Steglich, M., Jeltsch, J.-M., Nakazawa, A & Schmid, M. Microchromosomal assignment of the chicken ovotransferrin and adenylate kinase genes. Cytogenet. Cell Genet. 61, 155–157 (1992).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Dominguez-Steglich, M., Robbins, J. & Schmid, M. Mapping of the chicken N-CAM gene and a myosin heavy chain gene: avian microchromosomes are not genetically inert reserves of DNA. J. Exp. Zool. 265, 295–300 (1993).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Cross, S.H., Charlton, J.A., Nan, X. & Bird, A.P. Purification of CpG islands using a methylated DNA binding column. Nature Genet. 6, 236–244 (1994).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Antequera, F. & Bird, A. Number of CpG islands and genes in human and mouse. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 90, 11995–11999 (1993).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Cooper, D.N., Taggart, M.H. & Bird, A.P. Unmethylated domains in vertebrate DNA. Nucl. Acids Res. 11, 647–658 (1983).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Matsuo, K., Clay, O., Takahashi, T., Silke, J. & Schaffner, W. Evidence for erosion of mouse CpG islands during mammalian evolution. Somat CellMol. Genet. 19, 543–555 (1993).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Schmid, M., Enderle, E., Schindler, D. & Schempp, W. Chromosome banding and DNA replication patterns in bird karyotypes. Cytogenet. Cell Genet. 52, 139–146 (1989).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Craig, J.M. & Bickmore, W.A. The distribution of CpG islands in mammalian chromosomes. Nature Genet. 7, 376–382 (1994).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Wansink, D.G. et al. Fluorescent labeling of nascent RNA reveals transcription by RNA polymerase II in domains scattered throughout the nucleus. J. CellBiol. 122, 283–293 (1993).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Hughes, A.L. & Hughes, M.K. Small genomes for better flyers. Nature. 377, 391 (1995).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Brenner, S. et al. Characterisation of the pufferf ish (Fugu) genome as a compact model vertebrate genome. Nature. 366, 265–268 (1993).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Weintraub, H., Larsen, A. & Groudine, M. Alpha-globin gene switching during the development of chicken embryos: expression and chromosome structure. Cell. 24, 333–344 (1981).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Meehan, R.R., Lewis, J.D., McKay, S., Kleiner, E.L. & Bird, A.P. Identification of a mammalian protein that binds specifically to DNA containing methylated CpGs. Cell. 58, 499–507 (1989).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Altschul, S.F., Gish, W., Miller, W., Myers, E.W. & Lipman, D.J. Basic local alignment search tool. J. Mol. Biol. 215, 403–410 (1990).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Edinburgh, Darwin Building, King's Buildings, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JR, Scotland

    Heather A. McQueen, Sally H. Cross, Victoria H. Clark & Adrian P. Bird

  2. Medical Research Council Human Genetics Unit, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, Scotland

    Judy Fantes

  3. Roslin Institute (Edinburgh), Midlothian, EH25 9PS, Scotland

    Alan L. Archibald

Authors
  1. Heather A. McQueen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Judy Fantes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Sally H. Cross
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Victoria H. Clark
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Alan L. Archibald
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Adrian P. Bird
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

McQueen, H., Fantes, J., Cross, S. et al. CpG islands of chicken are concentrated on microchromosomes. Nat Genet 12, 321–324 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1038/ng0396-321

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ng0396-321

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing