A chromosomal study on Greek populations of the genusApodemus (Rodentia, Murinae) reveals new data on B chromosome distribution

Rovatsos, Michail; Mitsainas, George P.; Tryfonopoulos, George; Stamatopoulos, C.; Giagia‐Athanasopoulou, Eva B.

doi:10.1007/bf03194248

Cited by 12 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…This is puzzling since A. sylvaticus was reconfirmed for the Balkans in several recent studies (e.g. Bego et al 2008;Rovatsos et al 2008), not to mention again in the molecular assessment done by Michaux et al (2003). Also, part of our material of A. sylvaticus originates from a fairly close proximity to Serbia.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 49%

Mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences resolve the taxonomy of field mice (Apodemus) in the western Balkan refugium

2011

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Apodemus sylvaticus stankovici, described from the topographically rough landscape of the western Balkan glacial refugium, was recently proposed as being either a junior synonym of Apodemus flavicollis or a species on its own right. To untangle this taxonomic vagueness, we sequenced complete cytochrome b gene in 28 field mice collected at 12 locations in the mountains of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, western Macedonia and northern Greece. Samples yielded 27 new haplotypes which clustered into two distinct groups. One of these clades also included the reference haplotype of A. flavicollis, while another cluster emerged as being identical with the reference sample for A. sylvaticus. As is common in Apodemus, both species retrieved in our analysis were characterized by low levels of intraspecific variation (0.4-0.9%) as opposed to a high level of differentiation between them (8.0-10.0%); therefore, the taxonomic classification of our material was without doubt. We found no evidence regarding the presence of an additional cryptic species in the mountains of the western Balkans. The very similar values of genetic variability in the two species imply their common evolutionary history of a long-term coexistence in the western Balkan refugium.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 49%

Mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences resolve the taxonomy of field mice (Apodemus) in the western Balkan refugium

2011

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“…In some other mammals ( Erinaceus : Mandall, 1978; Thomomys : Patton & Sherwood, 1982; Apodemus : Rovatsos et al. , 2008b), variations in heterochromatin constitute crucial differences among karyotypes of closely‐related species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex chromosome variability outlines the pathway to the chromosomal evolution in Microtus thomasi (Rodentia, Arvicolinae)

Mitsainas

Rovatsos

Rizou

et al. 2009

Biological Journal of the Linnean Society

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The underground vole Microtus thomasi, a Balkan endemic, displays remarkable variability in sex chromosome size and morphology. In the present study, we demonstrate this variability in two of its chromosomal races with 2n = 44 (i.e. 'thomasi' and 'atticus') with the use of C-banding on a sample of 189 individuals from 50 localities of Greece. In 'thomasi', five different, acrocentric X chromosome variants (X0-X4) are described, which differ significantly in size, due to heterochromatin addition. Also, three Y chromosome variants are described (Y0-Y2), ranging in size from very small (Y0) to large (Y2). The 'atticus' race displays three subtelocentric variants of the X chromosome (Xst0-Xst2), which differ in arm length ratio and heterochromatin content. In Peloponnesus, males of this race exhibit Y0 and Y1, whereas, in Attiki (south-east Sterea Ellada), males carry the small metacentric, Ym. Overall, there is a trend towards sex chromosome size increase in a south to north direction. We propose that the last glaciation must have restricted M. thomasi to a refugium in southern Peloponnesus. During post-glacial colonization, limited northward expansion of its distribution area must have been accompanied by consecutive heterochromatin addition, which is proven today by comparatively larger sex chromosomes in the northern populations of 'thomasi' and 'atticus' in Greece than in their southern populations.

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“…There are some species with Bs whose populations cover wide geographic areas. The yellow-necked field mouse, A. flavicollis , common in the Western Palearctic region, has showed Bs presence almost everywhere through its range with frequencies ranging from 0.07 to 0.94 [ 62 , 129 , 130 , 131 , 132 , 133 , 134 , 135 , 136 , 137 , 138 ]. The frequency of animals with Bs in different geographic regions varies, but rules cannot be established easily.…”

Section: Frequency Of B Chromosomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Karamysheva et al [ 202 ], through the use of 2D analysis of pachytene in A. peninsulae , found three types of configurations: synapsed bivalents, univalents, and univalents that contain the foldback structure. During meiosis, Bs in A. flavicollis appear as univalents, bivalents or, depending on number, combinations of both, but never as a pair with the members of A set [ 130 , 203 ]. In the same species, Banaszek and Jadwiszczak [ 204 ] found that Bs behave in non-Mendelian fashion during meiosis I of males.…”

Section: Behaviour Of B Chromosomes During Meiosis and Their Transmentioning

confidence: 99%

B Chromosomes in Populations of Mammals Revisited

Vujošević

Rajičić

Blagojević

2018

Genes

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The study of B chromosomes (Bs) started more than a century ago, while their presence in mammals dates since 1965. As the past two decades have seen huge progress in application of molecular techniques, we decided to throw a glance on new data on Bs in mammals and to review them. We listed 85 mammals with Bs that make 1.94% of karyotypically studied species. Contrary to general view, a typical B chromosome in mammals appears both as sub- or metacentric that is the same size as small chromosomes of standard complement. Both karyotypically stable and unstable species possess Bs. The presence of Bs in certain species influences the cell division, the degree of recombination, the development, a number of quantitative characteristics, the host-parasite interactions and their behaviour. There is at least some data on molecular structure of Bs recorded in nearly a quarter of species. Nevertheless, a more detailed molecular composition of Bs presently known for six mammalian species, confirms the presence of protein coding genes, and the transcriptional activity for some of them. Therefore, the idea that Bs are inert is outdated, but the role of Bs is yet to be determined. The maintenance of Bs is obviously not the same for all species, so the current models must be adapted while bearing in mind that Bs are not inactive as it was once thought.

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A chromosomal study on Greek populations of the genusApodemus (Rodentia, Murinae) reveals new data on B chromosome distribution

Cited by 12 publications

References 30 publications

Mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences resolve the taxonomy of field mice (Apodemus) in the western Balkan refugium

Mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences resolve the taxonomy of field mice (Apodemus) in the western Balkan refugium

Sex chromosome variability outlines the pathway to the chromosomal evolution in Microtus thomasi (Rodentia, Arvicolinae)

B Chromosomes in Populations of Mammals Revisited

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