Short interspersed nuclear elements (SINEs) are small non-autonomous and heterogeneous retrotransposons, widespread in animals and plants and usually differentially propagated in related species resulting in genome-specific copy numbers. Within the monocots, the Poaceae (sweet grasses) is the largest and economically most important plant family. The distribution of 24 Poaceae SINE (PoaS) families, five of which showing a subfamily structure, was analyzed in five important cereals (Oryza sativa, Triticum aestivum, Hordeum vulgare, Sorghum bicolor, Zea mays), the energy crop Panicum virgatum and the model grass Brachypodium distachyon. The comparative investigation of SINE abundance and sequence diversity within Poaceae species provides insights into their species‐specific diversification and amplification. The PoaS families and subfamilies fall into two length and structural categories: simple SINEs of up to 180 bp and dimeric SINEs larger than 240 bp. Of 24 PoaS families, 20 are structurally related across species, in particular either in their 5′ or 3′ regions. Hence, reshuffling between SINEs, likely caused by nested insertions of full-lengh and truncated copies, is an important evolutionary mechanism of SINE formation. Most striking, the recently evolved homodimeric SINE family PoaS‐XIV occurs exclusively in wheat (T. aestivum) and consists of two tandemly arranged PoaS‐X.1 copies. Exemplary for deciduous tree species, the evolutionary history of SINE populations was examined in six Salicaceae genomes (Populus deltoides, Populus euphratica, Populus tremula, Populus tremuloides, Populus trichocarpa, Salix purpurea). Four of eleven Salicaceae SINE (SaliS) families exhibit a subfamily organization. The SaliS families consist of two groups, differing in their phylogenetic distribution pattern, sequence similarity and 3’ end structure. These groups probably emerged at different evolutionary periods of time: during the ‘salicoid duplication’ (~ 65 million years ago) in the Salix-Populus progenitor, and during the separation of the genus Salix (~ 45 - 65 million years ago), respectively. Similar to the PoaS families, the majority of the 20 SaliS families and subfamilies share regions of sequence similarity, providing evidence for SINE emergence by reshuffling. Furthermore, they also contain an evolutionarily young dimeric SINE family (SaliS-V), amplified only in two poplar genomes. The special feature of the Salicaceae SINEs is the contrast of the conservation of 5’ start motifs across species and SINE families compared to the high variability of 3’ ends within the SINE families, differing in sequence and length, presumably resulting from mutations in the poly(A) tail as a possible route for SINE elongation. Periods of increased transpositional activity promote the dissemination of novel 3’ ends. Thereby, evolutionarily older motifs are displaced leading to various 3’ end subpopulations within the SaliS families. Opposed to the PoaS families with a largely equal ratio of poly(A) to poly(T) tail SINEs, the SaliS families are exclusively terminated by adenine stretches. Among retrotransposon-based markers, SINEs are highly suitable for the development of molecular markers due to their unidirectional insertion and random distribution mainly in euchromatic genome regions, together with an easy and fast detection of the heterogeneous SINE families. As a prerequisite for the development of SINE-derived inter-SINE amplified polymorphism (ISAP) markers, 13 novel Theaceae SINE families (TheaS-I - TheaS-VII, TheaS-VIII.1 and TheaS-VIII.2, TheaS-IX - TheaS-XIII) were identified in the angiosperm tree species Camellia japonica. Moreover, six Pinaceae SINE families (PinS-I.1 and PinS-I.2, PinS-II – PinS-VI) were detected in the gymnosperm species Larix decidua. Compared to the SaliS and PoaS families, structural relationships are less frequent within the TheaS families and absent in the PinS families. The ISAP analysis revealed the genetic identity of Europe’s oldest historical camellia (C. japonica) trees indicating their vegetative propagation from the same ancestor specimen, which was probably the first living camellia on European ground introduced to England within the 18th century. Historical sources locate the native origin of this ancestral camellia specimen either in the Chinese province Yunnan or at the Japanese Gotō Islands. Comparative ISAPs showed no accordance to the Gotō camellia sample pool and appropriate Chinese reference samples were not available. However, the initial experiments demonstrated the potential of ISAP to resolve variations among natural populations. The ISAP application on angiosperm trees also concerned fast growing Populus clones grown in short rotation coppice plantations for energy production. The species-specific P. tremula ISAP primers might also be applied for the discrimination of hybrid poplar clones involving P. tremuloides genome portions, since SINEs of these two species are highly related. However, due to lineage-specific SINE evolution during speciation, cross-species applications are generally only successful to limited extent. The analysis of poplar hybrids composed of P. maximowiczii with either P. trichocarpa or P. nigra based on P. tremula ISAP primers showed a strongly reduced resolution. In forestry, hybrid larch (e.g. Larix × eurolepis) genotypes have to be selected from the offspring of Japanese (Larix kaempferi) and European larch (Larix decidua) crosses, as they exhibit superior growth rates compared to the parental species. Initial ISAP-based examinations of European larch genotypes provided less polymorphic banding patterns, probably resulting from general high levels of synteny and collinearities reported for gymnosperm species. Hence, the ISAP was combined with the AFLP technique to the novel marker system inter-SINE-restriction site amplified polymorphism (ISRAP). The amplicons originating from genomic regions between SINEs and EcoRI cleavage sites were visualized with the sensitive capillary gel electrophoresis. The ISRAP assays, based on EcoRI adapter primers combined with two different SINE-derived primers, resulted in a sufficient number of polymorphic peaks to distinguish the L. decidua genotypes investigated. Compared to ISAPs, the ISRAP approach provides the required resolution to differentiate highly similar larch genotypes.

Die Gattung Beta gehört zur Familie der Chenopodiaceae und wird in die vier Sektionen Beta, Corollinae, Nanae und Procumbentes unterteilt, wobei die Zuckerrübe der Sektion Beta zugeordnet wird. Aus dem Genom der Zuckerrübe und verwandter Wildarten konnten bereits eine Vielzahl von repetitiven DNA-Familien kloniert und untersucht werden. Mit der monosomen Fragmentadditionslinie PRO1 stand eine Chromosomenmutante zur Verfügung, die neben den 18 B. vulgaris-Chromosomen ein Chromosomenfragment der Wildrübe Beta procumbens enthält. Da dieses als Minichromosom bezeichnete Fragment mitotische Stabilität aufweist, muss es ein funktionelles Centromer besitzen, das auch im genetischen Hintergrund von Beta vulgaris aktiv ist. Mit der Erstellung einer BAC (bacterial artifical chromosome)-Bank von PRO1 wurde die molekulare Charakterisierung von Ty3-gypsy-Retrotransposons eines einzelnen Wildrüben-Centromers möglich. Die für die Wildrübe Beta procumbens spezifischen Satellitenrepeats pTS5 und pTS4.1 dienten der Selektion von BACs aus der Centromer-Region des PRO1-Minichromosoms. Die Identifizierung eines unikalen genomischen Locus, mit einer Verschachtelung von zwei nicht homologen LTR-Retrotransposons, ermöglichte die gerichtete Isolation der LTR-Retrotransposons Beetle1 und Beetle2. Das Retrotransposon Beetle1 hat eine Gesamtlänge von 6736 bp und wird von LTR-Sequenzen begrenzt, die eine Länge von 1091 bp (5’-LTR) bzw. 1089 bp (3’-LTR) aufweisen. Das LTR-Retrotransposon Beetle2 weist mit 6690 bp eine ähnliche Gesamtlänge wie Beetle1 auf. Es wird von deutlich kürzeren LTR-Sequenzen mit einer Länge von 774 bp begrenzt. Aufgrund der Reihenfolge der Polyproteingene lassen sich Beetle1 und Beetle2 in die Gruppe der Ty3-gypsy-Retrotransposons (Metaviridae) einordnen. Beide Retrotransposon-Familien besitzen ein einziges offenes Leseraster (open reading frame; ORF) mit fusionierten gag- und pol-Genen. Datenbankrecherchen zeigten hohe Homologien von Beetle1 und Beetle2 mit den centromerischen Ty3-gypsy-Retrotransposons CRM aus Zea mays, CRR aus Oryza sativa und cereba aus Hordeum vulgare. Diese centromerischen Retrotransposons (CRs) sind in den Poaceae stark konserviert und stellen neben Satellitenrepeats eine hochabundante Sequenzklasse der Centromere der Süßgräser dar. Da sie im 3’-Bereich des gag-pol-Polyproteins eine Chromodomäne aufweisen, werden sie der eigenständigen Gruppe der Chromoviren zugeordnet. Chromodomänen sind zur Bindung von Proteinen und DNA befähigt und spielen eine wichtige Rolle in der Chromatin-Modifikation und der Bildung von Heterochromatin-Regionen. Beetle1 und Beetle2 besitzen Motive einer Chromodomäne, die vermutlich für eine gerichtete Transposition in die Centromer-Region verantwortlich ist. Neben der geringen Divergenz von Beetle1- und Beetle2-Sequenzen sowohl im Genom von Beta procumbens als auch in den anderen Arten der Sektion Procumbentes spricht auch das junge Alter von 100 000 bis 350 000 Jahren und die Transkriptionsaktivität für eine Einordnung dieser Ty3-gypsy-Retrotransposons in die Gruppe der Chromoviren. Sowohl die Southern-Hybridisierung als auch die Fluoreszenz-in situ-Hybridisierung zeigten, dass Beetle1 und Beetle2 nur für die Sektion Procumbentes spezifisch sind und dort in hoher Kopienzahl vorkommen. Untersuchungen mit methylierungssensitiven Restriktionsendonukleasen veranschaulichten den hohen Grad an Cytosin-Methylierung von Beetle1 und Beetle2.

Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-21T19:59:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Larissa Glugoski.pdf: 3355270 bytes, checksum: c1790717a7cb103b4caf05eb10cb56cb (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-02-23 / The Loricariidae family is the largest in the Siluriformes order, being comprised of eight subfamilies. One of these, the Loricariinae subfamily, shows great diversity in respect to the number of chromosomes and karyotype formula, varying in the diploid number (2n) from 36 to 74 chromosomes. This diverse range originated mainly from Robertsonian(Rb) rearrangements. Rineloricaria is the largest genre in the Loricariinae subfamily, its species ranging from 2n = 36 to 70 chromosomes. In spite of this, little is known about which kinds of repetitive DNA gave rise to the events of chromosome fusion or fission. Previous studies have revealed the presence of multiple 5S rDNA sites in specimens of Rineloricaria from the Paraná River Basin, associated to the Robertsonian fission/fusion events. The aim of this work was the molecular characterization of the fragile sites associated to the 5S rDNA, besides localizing in situ marker chromosomes in Rineloricaria latirostris from the Das Pedras River and R. latirostris from the Piumhi River (first described in this work), seeking to understand the 2n diversification in this group. Rineloricaria latirostris from the Pedras River exhibited 2n = 46 chromosomes, while those from the Piumhi River presented 2n = 48 chromosomes, and both had a fundamental number (FN) of 60. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assays in R. latirostris from the Piumhi River revealed 2 chromosome pairs with 5S rDNA sites, pair 7 with 18S rDNA, and only terminal staining when subjected to a telomeric probe (TTAGGGn). The population of the Pedras river exhibited 5 pairs with 5S rDNA sites, the metacentric (m) pair 2 marked with 18S rDNA, TTAGGGn markers in the terminal regions of the chromosomes, and the presence of interstitial telomeric sites (ITS) in pairs m 1 and m 3. The latter, in synteny with 5S rDNA, is indicative of Robertsonian fusion events. The isolation, cloning and sequencing of the 5S rDNA revealed clones with high sequence identity to 5S rDNA from other species, in addition to the necessary regions for recognition and transcription by RNA polymerase III. One clone of ~700 bp exhibited a degenerated fragment of hAT transposon in its sequence. It was named degenerated 5S rDNA. The fluorescence in situ hybridization assay highlighted chromosomes with co-localized staining for 5S rDNA/hAT, 5S rDNA/degenerated 5S rDNA, and 5S rDNA/ITS (m 3 pair) in R. latirostris from das Pedras River. In R. latirostris from Piumhi River, there was no detection of degenerated 5S rDNA sites. These results allow us to infer the role of the hAT transposon in the dispersion of 5S rDNA sites in the population, since some studies have indicated a relation between 5S rDNA dispersion and transposons in fish. In conclusion, data obtained by this study indicate a possible association between the hAT and the dispersion of 5S rDNA sites and Robertsonian events in the studied population of R. latirostris. The presence of the 5S rDNA/degenerated 5S rDNA/ITS generates hotspots for chromosomal breakage, contributing to the large karyotype diversity found in Loricariidae. / A família Loricariidae é a mais numerosa dentro da ordem Siluriformes e abrange oito subfamílias. A subfamília Loricarinae apresenta uma grande diversidade no que diz respeito ao número de cromossomos e a fórmula cariotípica, com variação do número diploide (2n) de 36 a 74 cromossomos, sendo os rearranjos Robertsonianos (Rb) considerados os principais mecanismos para explicar esta variação cromossômica. Rineloricaria é o gênero mais numeroso de Loricariinae, com espécies apresentando 2n = 36 - 70 cromossomos. Contudo, pouco ainda se sabe sobre quais os tipos de DNAs repetitivos originaram os eventos de fissão e fusão cromossômica. Estudos anteriores revelaram a presença de sítios múltiplos de rDNA 5S em exemplares de Rineloricaria da bacia do Rio Paraná, associados aos eventos de fissão/fusão Robertsonianos. O objetivo deste trabalho foi a caracterização molecular de sítios frágeis associados ao rDNA 5S, além da localização in situ de marcadores cromossômicos em Rineloricaria latirostris do rio das Pedras e R. latirostris do rio Piumhi (pela primeira vez descrito neste trabalho), visando a compreensão da diversificação do 2n neste grupo. Rineloricaria latirostris do rio das Pedras apresentou 2n = 46 cromossomos, enquanto R. latirostris do rio Piumhi apresentou 2n = 48 cromossomos, ambos com número fundamental (NF) de 60. Ensaios de hibridação in situ fluorescente em R. latirostris do rio Piumhi revelaram 2 pares cromossômicos marcados com rDNA 5S, o par 7 marcado com rDNA 18S, além de apenas marcações terminais utilizando-se a sonda telomérica (TTAGGGn). A população do rio das Pedras apresentou 5 pares portadores de sítios de rDNA 5S, o par metacêntrico (m) 2 marcado com rDNA 18S, marcações de TTAGGGn nas regiões terminais dos cromossomos, além da presença de vestígios de sítios teloméricos intersticiais (interstitial telomeric sites - ITS) nos pares m 1 e m 3, sendo este último em sintenia com o rDNA 5S, indicativo de eventos de fusão Robertsoniana. O isolamento, clonagem e sequenciamento de fragmentos de rDNA 5S, revelaram clones apresentando alta identidade ao rDNA 5S de outras espécies, além das regiões necessárias para o reconhecimento e transcrição pela RNA polimerase III. Um dos clones de ~700 pb apresentou um fragmento do transposon hAT em sua sequência, já em intensa degeneração molecular, sendo denominado de rDNA 5S degenerado. A hibridação in situ fluorescente evidenciou cromossomos com marcações co-localizadas de rDNA 5S/hAT, rDNA 5S/rDNA 5S degenerado e rDNA 5S/ITS (no par m 3) em R. latirostris do rio da Pedras. Em R. latirostris do rio Piumhi, não foram detectados sítios com rDNA 5S degenerado. Estes resultados nos permitem inferir o papel do TE hAT na dispersão dos sítios de rDNA 5S na população estudada, visto que alguns estudos indicam haver uma relação entre a dispersão do rDNA 5S pelo genoma e TEs em peixes. Em conclusão, os dados obtidos neste estudo indicam uma possível associação entre o elemento hAT e a dispersão de sítios de rDNA 5S e eventos Robertsonianos presentes na população de R. latirostris estudada. A presença de rDNA 5S/rDNA 5S degenerado/ITS geram hotspots para as quebras cromossômicas, contribuindo assim para a ampla diversidade cariotípica encontrada em Loricariidae.

Cromossomos sexuais evoluíram repetidas vezes independentemente nos grandes grupos de vertebrados. Sistemas sexuais altamente diferenciados e antigos são caracterizados por grandes diferenças morfológicas e de conteúdo gênico entre os dois cromossomos homólogos onde a recombinação é restrita a uma pequena região homóloga. Os sistemas recentes característicos de peixes caracterizam-se pela similaridade entre os cromossomos X e Y (ou Z e W), nos quais as diferenças observadas freqüentemente envolvem a presença de heterocromatina, translocações e inversões. A recombinação ocorre entre o par sexual na maior parte de sua extensão, sendo inibida apenas na região diretamente relacionada com a determinação sexual. Notavelmente, sistemas diferentes de determinação podem ser encontrados em espécies, ou mesmo populações. O gênero Eigenmannia compreende grupos de espécies crípticas do ponto de vista morfológico que exibem variação no número cromossômico e podem apresentar sistemas sexuais XY ou ZW, incluindo sistemas múltiplos (com translocação Y-autossomo). Estes sistemas estão entre os mais recentes descritos (<16ma) e estão dispostos de forma desordenada em árvores de relações filogenéticas, sugerindo origens múltiplas. No presente estudo, a técnicas de pintura cromossômica usando sondas obtidas por microdissecção de cromossomos sexuais foram empregadas para testar a homologia de dois sistemas XY encontrados nos citótipos (ou espécies) E. virescens e E. sp.2. Os resultados mostram que, de fato, ambos são não homólogos. A fusão Y-autossomo provavelmente ocorreu após a separação de E. sp.2 com sua espécie irmã, E. sp.1 uma vez que um evento de fusão independente, envolvendo um dos cromossomos homólogos ao Y, foi detectado em E. sp.1. A hibridação in sit&#956; do cromossomo X de E. virescens em sua população mais próxima (também com 38 cromossomos, mas sem cromossomos sexuais heteromórficos) mostrou que o cromossomo X é homólogo a um par de acrocêntricos, condizente com o modelo proposto de diferenciação por acúmulo de heterocromatina. Essa heterocromatina foi caracterizada e mostrou um padrão complexo de seqüências CG-ricas. Dois fragmentos de DNA repetitivo GC-ricos presentes no cromossomo X foram isolados e seqüenciados. Não foram detectadas similaridades em comparações com bases de dados e entre os fragmentos obtidos. Estes mostraram-se concentrados nas regiões cromomicina-positivas de E. virescens, incluindo regiões periteloméricas de sete pares e os dois maiores blocos heterocromáticos (nos cromossomos X e par n. 8), além de um cromossomo acrocêntrico, possivelmente o Y. Curiosamente, essas seqüências foram detectadas em apenas três pares cromossômicos na população mais próxima, incluindo um par acrocêntrico de morfologia semelhante à condição ancestral do X, sugerindo que processos dinâmicos de expansão e homogenização genômica ocorreram após a separação dessas populações / Sex chromosomes have evolved independently several times in all major groups of vertebrates. Highly differentiated sex chromosomes are characterized by extensive differences in morphology and gene content, whereas recombination is restricted to a small homologous region. Recent sex chromosomes are characteristic of fish, and display a high level of homology between X and Y (or Z and W) chromosomes, recombination is restricted only in a small sex determining region. Notably, different sex chromosome systems can be found in closely related groups, such as species or even populations. The genus Eigenmannia comprises a group of morphologically cryptic species that display a variety of diploid numbers and different sex chromosome systems, including XY, ZW and a multiple XY system (with a Y-autosome fusion). These systems are among the most recent known (<16ma) and occur with a lack of phylogenetic pattern, whereas frequently populations bearing heteromorphic sex chromosomes are closest related to populations displaying no sex chromosomes. In the present study, chromosome painting using probes derived from the microdissection of two different sex chromosomes where used to investigate the homology of both systems. Results show that, in fact, they are non-homologous and evolved independently. The Y-autosome hypothesis gained further support from the observation that a chromosome homologous to the Y in a close population is involved in yet a different fusion event. The X chromosome present in the E. virescens karyotype was found to be homologous to acrocentric chromosomes in all populations analyzed, thus supporting the notion that its differentiations is mainly due to the accumulation of heterochromatin. The X heterochromatic block was shown to form a complex pattern of GC-rich sequences, different from what was previously described. Two GC-rich fragments were isolated and sequenced; both showed no similarities to known sequences and to one another. These sequences were shown to be concentrated viii on the two largest heterochromatic blocks, those of the X and n.8 chromosomes besides peri-telomeric regions of seven additional pairs and the putative Y. Curiously, these sequences were detected in only three pairs in the closest population, including an acrocentric pair morphologically similar to undifferentiated sex pair. This suggests that dynamic evolutionary processes of expansion and genomic homogenization have occurred after the separation of these populations.

Orientador: Fausto Foresti / Resumo: Characidium é um grupo de peixes amplamente distribuídos pela região Neotropical, embora seja considerado o mais especioso dentro de Crenuchidae, do ponto de vista citogenético o número de espécies investigadas ainda é baixo, o que dificulta a caracterização quanto a organização cromossômica do gênero. Em relação ao número diploide, as espécies de Characidium conservaram um cariótipo com 2n = 50 cromossomos, do tipo metacêntricos e submetacêntricos (com exceções), o que resulta em uma macroestrutura homogênea para o grupo. Porém, investigações utilizando sequências repetitivas têm contribuído para ilustrar que a organização microestrutural cromossômica pode diferir entre as espécies, refletindo o hábito destes peixes constituírem populações pequenas e isoladas em cabeceiras de riachos. Adicionalmente, algumas espécies de Characidium também foram descritas portando cromossomos B em seus cariótipos, e a utilização de ferramentas citomoleculares têm contribuído para explorar quanto a origem e evolução destes componentes cariotípicos. Neste sentido, o objetivo do presente estudo foi agregar técnicas citomoleculares com resultados de sequenciamento massivo, para tentar compreender a ocorrência de cromossomos B no genoma de Characidium sp. aff. C. vidali. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que i) o mapeamento físico de diferentes sondas de DNA repetitivo contribuíram não apenas para caracterizar o cariótipo da espécie em estudo, como também adicionaram mais informações quanto a organi... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Characidium is a group of fish widely distributed in the Neotropical region, although it is considered the most specious within Crenuchidae, from the cytogenetic point of view the number of species investigated is still low, which makes it difficult to characterize the chromosomal organization of the genus. In relation to the diploid number, Characidium species retained a karyotype with 2n = 50 chromosomes, metacentric and submetacentric (with exceptions), resulting in a homogeneous macrostructure for the group. However, investigations using repetitive sequences have contributed to illustrate that the chromosomal microstructural organization may differ between species, reflecting the habit of these fish constituting small and isolated populations in headwaters of streams. In addition, some species of Characidium have also been described carrying B chromosomes in their karyotypes, and the use of cyto-molecular tools has contributed to explore the origin and evolution of these karyotype components. In this sense, the objective of the present study was to aggregate cyto-molecular techniques with massive sequencing results to try to understand the occurrence of B chromosomes in the genome of Characidium sp. aff. C. vidali. The results showed that i) the physical mapping of different repetitive DNA probes contributed not only to characterize the karyotype of the species under study, but also added more information about the organization and evolution of the chromosomal microstruct... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

Submitted by Rafael Santana (rafael.silvasantana@ufpe.br) on 2017-04-27T17:11:37Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Dissertacao-2016 Mariela Sader.pdf: 1705519 bytes, checksum: 88403c5afd27ce740e32a563b44b06b3 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-04-27T17:11:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Dissertacao-2016 Mariela Sader.pdf: 1705519 bytes, checksum: 88403c5afd27ce740e32a563b44b06b3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-29 / CNPQ / O gênero Passiflora é o maior da família Passifloraceae, sendo formado por aproximadamente 500 espécies. Tem origem na América tropical, apresentando mais de 135 espécies nativas do Brasil. Dentre as principais espécies do gênero, destaca-se o maracujáazedo, Passiflora edulis Sims, em virtude de seu interesse comercial principalmente como planta frutífera. Apesar de avanços no conhecimento genético e genômico, não é possível o reconhecimento de cada um de seus nove pares cromossômicos. Uma estratégia que auxilia na definição do cariótipo é o desenvolvimento de marcadores específicos para cada par cromossômico, que podem ser obtidos a partir da hibridização in situ fluorescente (FISH) de sequências genômicas clonadas em cromossomos artificiais de bactérias (BACs). No presente trabalho, 27 BACs contendo genes ou regiões gênicas de Passiflora foram utilizados como sondas para a construção de um mapa físico do maracujá-azedo por BAC-FISHintegrando a localização de sequências únicas e repetidas.Destes, 12 clones puderam ser mapeados, permitindo a identificação com marcas únicas de oito dos pares cromossômicos, sendo o par cinco identificado com o DNAr 5S. Além disso, foi demonstrada a distribuição dispersa de retroelementos Ty1-copia, Ty3-gypsy e LINE. Os resultados do presente trabalho corroboram a importância da FISH na caracterização e identificação cromossômicas, tanto com sequências repetitivas quanto com clones com grandes insertos como sonda (BAC-FISH), propiciando o desenvolvimento de marcadores cromossomo-específicos e um mapa citogenético para o maracujá-azedo. / Passiflora is the largest genus of the Passifloraceae family, and includes about 500 species. It originates in tropical America and more than 135 species are native to Brazil. Among the main species of the genus, the sour passion-fruit Passiflora edulis Simsis of great importance because of their commercial interest, primarily as fruitful plant. Despite the advances in genetic and genomicknowledge, it has not been possible to distinguish eachone of his nine chromosome pairs. One strategy that helps karyotype definition is the development of markers specific for each chromosome pair, which can be obtained from fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) of cloned genomic sequences in bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs). In this study, 27 BACs containing genes or gene regions of Passiflora were used as probes to construct a physical map of the sour passion-fruit using BAC-FISH. Subsequently, 12 clones have been mapped allowing the identification of eight chromosome pairs with unique signal, the fifthpair being identified by the 5S rDNA. Furthermore, a dispersed distribution of retrotransposons Ty1-copia, Ty3-gypsy and LINE was demonstrated. The results of this study confirm the importance of FISH in chromosome characterization and identification, using both repetitive sequences and clones with large inserts as probe (BACFISH), promoting the development of chromosome-specific markers and a cytogenetic map for the sour passion-fruit.

Cromossomos sexuais evoluíram repetidas vezes independentemente nos grandes grupos de vertebrados. Sistemas sexuais altamente diferenciados e antigos são caracterizados por grandes diferenças morfológicas e de conteúdo gênico entre os dois cromossomos homólogos onde a recombinação é restrita a uma pequena região homóloga. Os sistemas recentes característicos de peixes caracterizam-se pela similaridade entre os cromossomos X e Y (ou Z e W), nos quais as diferenças observadas freqüentemente envolvem a presença de heterocromatina, translocações e inversões. A recombinação ocorre entre o par sexual na maior parte de sua extensão, sendo inibida apenas na região diretamente relacionada com a determinação sexual. Notavelmente, sistemas diferentes de determinação podem ser encontrados em espécies, ou mesmo populações. O gênero Eigenmannia compreende grupos de espécies crípticas do ponto de vista morfológico que exibem variação no número cromossômico e podem apresentar sistemas sexuais XY ou ZW, incluindo sistemas múltiplos (com translocação Y-autossomo). Estes sistemas estão entre os mais recentes descritos (<16ma) e estão dispostos de forma desordenada em árvores de relações filogenéticas, sugerindo origens múltiplas. No presente estudo, a técnicas de pintura cromossômica usando sondas obtidas por microdissecção de cromossomos sexuais foram empregadas para testar a homologia de dois sistemas XY encontrados nos citótipos (ou espécies) E. virescens e E. sp.2. Os resultados mostram que, de fato, ambos são não homólogos. A fusão Y-autossomo provavelmente ocorreu após a separação de E. sp.2 com sua espécie irmã, E. sp.1 uma vez que um evento de fusão independente, envolvendo um dos cromossomos homólogos ao Y, foi detectado em E. sp.1. A hibridação in sit&#956; do cromossomo X de E. virescens em sua população mais próxima (também com 38 cromossomos, mas sem cromossomos sexuais heteromórficos) mostrou que o cromossomo X é homólogo a um par de acrocêntricos, condizente com o modelo proposto de diferenciação por acúmulo de heterocromatina. Essa heterocromatina foi caracterizada e mostrou um padrão complexo de seqüências CG-ricas. Dois fragmentos de DNA repetitivo GC-ricos presentes no cromossomo X foram isolados e seqüenciados. Não foram detectadas similaridades em comparações com bases de dados e entre os fragmentos obtidos. Estes mostraram-se concentrados nas regiões cromomicina-positivas de E. virescens, incluindo regiões periteloméricas de sete pares e os dois maiores blocos heterocromáticos (nos cromossomos X e par n. 8), além de um cromossomo acrocêntrico, possivelmente o Y. Curiosamente, essas seqüências foram detectadas em apenas três pares cromossômicos na população mais próxima, incluindo um par acrocêntrico de morfologia semelhante à condição ancestral do X, sugerindo que processos dinâmicos de expansão e homogenização genômica ocorreram após a separação dessas populações / Sex chromosomes have evolved independently several times in all major groups of vertebrates. Highly differentiated sex chromosomes are characterized by extensive differences in morphology and gene content, whereas recombination is restricted to a small homologous region. Recent sex chromosomes are characteristic of fish, and display a high level of homology between X and Y (or Z and W) chromosomes, recombination is restricted only in a small sex determining region. Notably, different sex chromosome systems can be found in closely related groups, such as species or even populations. The genus Eigenmannia comprises a group of morphologically cryptic species that display a variety of diploid numbers and different sex chromosome systems, including XY, ZW and a multiple XY system (with a Y-autosome fusion). These systems are among the most recent known (<16ma) and occur with a lack of phylogenetic pattern, whereas frequently populations bearing heteromorphic sex chromosomes are closest related to populations displaying no sex chromosomes. In the present study, chromosome painting using probes derived from the microdissection of two different sex chromosomes where used to investigate the homology of both systems. Results show that, in fact, they are non-homologous and evolved independently. The Y-autosome hypothesis gained further support from the observation that a chromosome homologous to the Y in a close population is involved in yet a different fusion event. The X chromosome present in the E. virescens karyotype was found to be homologous to acrocentric chromosomes in all populations analyzed, thus supporting the notion that its differentiations is mainly due to the accumulation of heterochromatin. The X heterochromatic block was shown to form a complex pattern of GC-rich sequences, different from what was previously described. Two GC-rich fragments were isolated and sequenced; both showed no similarities to known sequences and to one another. These sequences were shown to be concentrated viii on the two largest heterochromatic blocks, those of the X and n.8 chromosomes besides peri-telomeric regions of seven additional pairs and the putative Y. Curiously, these sequences were detected in only three pairs in the closest population, including an acrocentric pair morphologically similar to undifferentiated sex pair. This suggests that dynamic evolutionary processes of expansion and genomic homogenization have occurred after the separation of these populations.

No description available.

Analysis of rhesus monkey alphoid DNA suggests that it arose by tandem duplication of an ancestral monomer unit followed by independent variation within two adjacent monomers (one becoming more divergent than the other) before their amplification as a dimer unit to produce tandem arrays. The rhesus monkey alphoid DNA is a tandemly repeated, 343-bp dimer; the consensus dimer is over 98% homologous to the alphoid dimers reported for baboon and bonnet monkey, 81% homologous to the African green monkey alpha monomer, and less than 70% homologous to the more divergent human alphoid DNAs. The consensus dimer consists of two wings (I and II, 172 and 171 bp, respectively) that are only 70% homologous to each other, but share seven regions of exact homology. These same regions are highly conserved among the consensus sequences of the other cercopithecid alphoid DNAs. The three alpha-protein binding sites reported for African green monkey alpha DNA by F. Strauss and A. Varshavsky (Cell 37: 889-901, 1984) occur in wings I and II, but with one site altered in wing I. Two cloned dimer segments are 98% homologous to the consensus, each containing 8 single-base-pair differences within the 343-bp segment. Surprisingly, 37% of these differences occur in regions that are evolutionarily conserved in the alphoid consensus sequences, including the alpha-protein binding sites. Sequence variation in this highly repetitive DNA family may produce unique nucleosomal architectures for different members of an alphoid array. These unique architectures may modulate the evolution of these repetitive DNAs and may produce unique centromeric characteristics in primate chromosomes.

Eukaryotic genomes contain a large number of repetitive structures. Their detection and assembly today are the main challenges of bioinformatics. This work includes a classification of repetitive DNA and represents an implementation of a novel de novo assembler focusing on searching and constructing LTR retrotransposons and satellite DNA. Assembler accepts on his input short reads (single or pair-end), obtained from next-generation sequencing machines (NGS). This assembler is based on Overlap Layout Consensus approach.