engleski

Satellite DNAs in closely related species: the case of Tribolium beetles

The sibling species Tribolium audax and T. madens are so similar in appearance that for a long time they were classified as a single species. Regarding satellite DNA profiles, their genomes have in common two highly repetitive families with repeating units based on a ~110 bp building element. Analyzed junction fragments between satellite families point to intensive rearrangements of DNA sequences in heterochromatic regions, implying the potential origin of novel satellite (sub)families at the array borders. Comparison of highly repetitive DNAs in the two sibling species suggests an evolutionary scenario where a basic building element changes its sequence as well as higher-order architecture, and concurrently generates different repetitive families within each species. Along with geographic isolation, diverged satellite profiles might facilitate the speciation process.

satellite DNA; heterochromatin; junctions; evolution

nije evidentirano