B chromosomes, extra elements present in the karyotypes of some eukaryote species, have been described in the grasshopper Xyleus discoideus angulatus. Although some studies have proposed an autosomal origin of the B chromosome in X. d. angulatus, little is known about its repetitive DNA composition and evolutionary dynamics. The aim of the present work was to shed light on the B chromosome evolution in X. d. angulatus by cytogenetic analysis of 27 populations from Pernambuco and Ceará states (Brazil). The frequency of B chromosomes in the different populations was determined, and chromosome measurements and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with C₀t-DNA and telomeric and B chromosome sequences were performed in cells from B-carrying individuals. The results revealed variations in B chromosome prevalence among the populations and showed that some B chromosomes were smaller in certain populations. FISH produced similar patterns for the C₀t-DNA probe in all hybridized individuals, whereas telomeric and B chromosome probes, obtained by microdissection, exhibited variations in their distribution. These results indicate the presence of 3 morphotypes of B chromosomes in X. d. angulatus, with variation in repetitive DNA composition during their evolution. In this species, B chromosomes have an intraspecific origin and probably arose from the pericentromeric region of A chromosomes.

ABSTRACT. In this study, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis was used to determine and compare the numbers and chromosomal locations of two multigene families (rDNA and histone H3) in four Neotropical species of gomphocerine grasshoppers. FISH using the 18S rDNA probe identified a single site on the S9 chromosome of Amblytropidia sp and Cauratettix borelli, a single site on chromosome M6 of Compsacris pulcher, and two sites (chromosomes L1 and L2) in Orphulella punctata. By contrast, FISH with a 5S rDNA probe identified dispersion of this sequence in the genomes of the four species, with evidence of intraspecific variations. Amblytropidia sp had six to eight FISH signals on autosomal chromosomes, while C. pulcher exhibited a signal only on the M5 bivalent. The histone H3 gene was less variable and was restricted to a single pair in all species. The conservation of the numbers and locations of 18S rDNA and H3 genes in conjunction with data from the literature was useful 15009 Physical mapping in Gomphocerinae species ©FUNPEC-RP www.funpecrp.com.br Genetics and Molecular Research 14 (4): 15008-15015 (2015) for evaluating karyotype evolution in this subfamily. The variation in the number and sizes of 5S rDNA sites indicates a process of recent dispersion that might have been mediated by transposition.

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