Non-random occurrence of Robertsonian translocations in the house mouse (Mus musculus domesticus): is it related to quantitative variation in the minor satellite?

The house mouse, Mus musculus domesticus, shows extraordinary chromosomal diversity driven by fixation of Robertsonian (Rb) translocations. The high frequency of this rearrangement, which involves the centromeric regions, has been ascribed to the architecture of the satellite sequence (high quantity and homogeneity). This promotes centromere-related translocations through unequal recombination and gene conversion. A characteristic feature of Rb variation in this subspecies is the non-random contribution of different chromosomes to the translocation frequency, which, in turn, depends on the chromosome size. Here, the association between satellite quantity and Rb frequency was tested by PRINS of the minor satellite which is the sequence involved in the translocation breakpoints. Five chromosomes with different translocation frequencies were selected and analyzed among wild house mice from 8 European localities. Using a relative quantitative measurement per chromosome, the analysis detected a large variability in signal size most of which was observed between individuals and/or localities. The chromosomes differed significantly in the quantity of the minor satellite, but these differences were not correlated with their translocation frequency. However, the data uncovered a marginally significant correlation between the quantity of the minor satellite and chromosome size. The implications of these results on the evolution of the chromosomal architecture in the house mouse are discussed.

Aphyosemion pamaense, a new killifish species (Cyprinodontiformes: Nothobranchiidae) from Cameroon.

Aphyosemion panaense sp. nov. is described from the Pama River, a small tributary of the Nyong, in the surroundings of Pama, Cameroon. It belongs to the subgenus Chromaphyosenion Radda, 1971 and is distinguished from its relatives by a unique/diagnostic combination of characters: orange unpaired fins, an anal fin without spots, an orange throat and purple to blue-grey flanks. The new species is also genetically differentiated from all the other Chromaphyosemion species as revealed by mtDNA (cytochrome b) analysis and characterised by a unique karyotype showing tentative sex chromosomes with 2n=35 chromosomes in males versus 2n=36 in females.

Isolation and characterization of a new strain of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus from rodents in southwestern France.

A total of 821 tissue samples from rodents trapped during field campaigns organized in Europe and Africa were screened for the presence of arenaviruses by molecular methods and cell culture inoculation when feasible. Two Mus musculus domesticus trapped in the southwestern part of France were infected with a potentially new strain of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), here referred to as LCMV strain HP65-2009, which was isolated and genetically characterized by whole genome sequencing. Genetic and phylogenetic analyses comparing LCMV HP65-2009 with 26 other LCMV strains showed that it represents a novel highly-divergent strain within the group of Mus musculus-associated LCMV.

Are ribosomal DNA clusters rearrangement hotspots?: a case study in the genus Mus (Rodentia, Muridae).

BACKGROUND: Recent advances in comparative genomics have considerably improved our knowledge of the evolution of mammalian karyotype architecture. One of the breakthroughs was the preferential localization of evolutionary breakpoints in regions enriched in repetitive sequences (segmental duplications, telomeres and centromeres). In this context, we investigated the contribution of ribosomal genes to genome reshuffling since they are generally located in pericentromeric or subtelomeric regions, and form repeat clusters on different chromosomes. The target model was the genus Mus which exhibits a high rate of karyotypic change, a large fraction of which involves centromeres. RESULTS: The chromosomal distribution of rDNA clusters was determined by in situ hybridization of mouse probes in 19 species. Using a molecular-based reference tree, the phylogenetic distribution of clusters within the genus was reconstructed, and the temporal association between rDNA clusters, breakpoints and centromeres was tested by maximum likelihood analyses. Our results highlighted the following features of rDNA cluster dynamics in the genus Mus: i) rDNA clusters showed extensive diversity in number between species and an almost exclusive pericentromeric location, ii) a strong association between rDNA sites and centromeres was retrieved which may be related to their shared constraint of concerted evolution, iii) 24% of the observed breakpoints mapped near an rDNA cluster, and iv) a substantial rate of rDNA cluster change (insertion, deletion) also occurred in the absence of chromosomal rearrangements. CONCLUSIONS: This study on the dynamics of rDNA clusters within the genus Mus has revealed a strong evolutionary relationship between rDNA clusters and centromeres. Both of these genomic structures coincide with breakpoints in the genus Mus, suggesting that the accumulation of a large number of repeats in the centromeric region may contribute to the high level of chromosome repatterning observed in this group. However, the elevated rate of rDNA change observed in the chromosomally invariant clade indicates that the presence of these sequences is insufficient to lead to genome instability. In agreement with recent studies, these results suggest that additional factors such as modifications of the epigenetic state of DNA may be required to trigger evolutionary plasticity.