Pattern of X-Y chromosome pairing in the Taiwan vole, Microtus kikuchii. |
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| Authors: | K Mekada M Harada L K Lin K Koyasu P M Borodin S I Oda |
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| Institution: | Laboratory of Animal Management, Graduate School of Bio-Agricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Japan. |
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| Abstract: | Pairing of X and Y chromosomes at meiotic prophase and the G- and C-banding patterns and nucleolar organizer region (NOR) distribution were analyzed in Microtus kikuchii. M. kikuchii is closely related to M. oeconomus and M. montebelli, karyologically and systematically. The formation of a synaptonemal complex between the X and Y chromosomes at pachytene and end-to-end association at diakinesis--metaphase I are only observed in three species in the genus Microtus; M. kikuchii, M. oeconomus, and M. montebelli. All the other species that have been studied so far have had asynaptic X-Y chromosomes. These data confirm that M. kikuchii, M. oeconomus, and M. montebelli are very closely related, and support the separation of asynaptic and synaptic groups on the phylogenetic tree. |
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