Nature 238, 455 - 457 (25 August 1972); doi:10.1038/238455a0

Evidence for Ancient Tetraploidy and Conservation of Linkage Groups in Mammalian Chromosomes

DAVID E. COMINGS

Department of Medical Genetics, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, California 91010

OHNO^1–3 has suggested that during mammalian evolution tetraploidy occurred with a resultant doubling of the chromosome number and DNA content, from 2–3 10⁸ yr ago^1–4. The recent technique of chromosome banding, through the use of quinacrine fluorescence and giemsa staining; has allowed evidence such as similar pairs of chromosome pairs in the karyotypes of modern mammals to be examined. The following observations are compatible with the existence of modern remnants of ancient tetraploidy.

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