New EMBO Members Review
- The EMBO Journal (2002) 21, 5955 - 5959
- doi:10.1093/emboj/cdf612
Subject Categories:
Variation in satellite DNA profiles—causes and effects
Ður
ica Ugarkovi
1 and Miroslav Plohl1
-
Department of Molecular Genetics, Ruer Bo
kovia Institute, Bijeni
ka 54, HR-10002 Zagreb, Croatia
Correspondence to:
Ðurica Ugarkovi,
E-mail: ugarkov@rudjer.irb.hr
Received 17 June 2002; Accepted 24 September 2002; Revised 18 September 2002
Abstract
Heterochromatic regions of the eukaryotic genome harbour DNA sequences that are repeated many times in tandem, collectively known as satellite DNAs. Different satellite sequences co-exist in the genome, thus forming a set called a satellite DNA library. Within a library, satellite DNAs represent independent evolutionary units. Their evolution can be explained as a result of change in two parameters: copy number and nucleotide sequence, both of them ruled by the same mechanisms of concerted evolution. Individual change in either of these two parameters as well as their simultaneous evolution can lead to the genesis of species-specific satellite profiles. In some cases, changes in satellite DNA profiles can be correlated with chromosomal evolution and could possibly influence the evolution of species.
Keywords:
- concerted evolution,
- repetitive DNA,
- satellite DNA library
