Classical and Molecular Cytogenetics of the Panther Genet <b><i>Genetta maculata</i></b> (Mammalia, Carnivora, Viverridae)

Abstract

Genets (Genetta) are a genus of African mammalian carnivorans with 14 currently recognized species, although taxonomic uncertainties remain, particularly regarding the number of species within the large-spotted genet complex. This study presents the first banded karyotype and molecular cytogenetic analysis of a genetically identified panther genet, Genetta maculata, the most common and widespread taxon of the large-spotted genet complex, with a wide distribution in sub-Saharan Africa. Sampled in Gauteng Province, South Africa, it could be assigned to the subspecies G. m. letabae on geographic grounds and had a similar karyotype (2n = 52, FNa = 96) to those published for a panther genet from Ethiopia and for the West African large-spotted genet G. pardina. Notably, the specimen had a different autosomal morphology (2 acrocentric chromosomes) from that previously attributed to letabae (a single acrocentric chromosome), but the latter assignment was uncertain because the studied individuals were captive born and assigned based solely on a presumed origin in the former Transvaal Province of South Africa. Fluorescence in situ hybridization with a telomere repeat probe revealed the presence of telomeric sequences in the centromeres of most chromosomes, the so-called interstitial telomeric sites (ITSs). Since genets seem to have a unique, highly rearranged karyotype among feliforms and relatively low interspecific karyotypic variation, and considering the known instability of ITSs, we suggest that the large amount of ITSs found here might be due to evolutionarily recent extensive genomic rearrangements. This study provides cytogenetic information that contributes to our understanding of chromosomal variation and genomic rearrangements in genets, and valuable baseline data for future studies of karyotype evolution in carnivores in general and viverrids in particular.

Heterochromatin variation and LINE-1 distribution in Artibeus (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae) from Central Amazon, Brazil

“…1f, g ). There are two potential explanations for the presence of telomeric sequences in interstitial position (ITS): (i) these sequences might be telomere motifs reallocated from the terminal region of a chromosome to another chromosome or chromosome position; and (ii) the ITS presence on the centromere derives from reorganization of repetitive sequences (satellite DNA) composing these regions, which could also indicate the presence of centromeric hotspots of recombination during Artibeus karyotype evolution ( Nanda and Schmid 1994 , Multani et al 2001 , Metcalfe et al 2007 , Faria et al 2009 , Kasahara 2009 , Silva et al 2016 , Teixeira et al 2016 ). The karyotypic evolution of Artibeus is considered extremely conservative, however the formation of the ancestral karyotype of the subfamily Stenodermatinae required extreme reshuffling ( Baker and Bickham 1980 , Pieczarka et al 2013 ).…”

Telomere organization and the interstitial telomeric sites involvement in insects and vertebrates chromosome evolution

“…Telomeric proteins (TRF1, TRF2, and RAP1) could bind in the het-ITS, suggesting that the shelterin complex has an important role in these region’s organization and function ( Zakian, 1995 ; Simonet et al, 2011 ). Yet, the het-ITS could be relicts of chromosome rearrangements (e.g., Robertsonian - Rb fusion or, pericentric inversion) with fundamental importance in chromosome evolution in some groups ( Paço et al, 2013 ; Matoso Silva et al, 2016 ; Viana et al, 2016 ; Deon et al, 2020 ).…”