Vm. Aniskin et al., KARYOTYPES AND CYTOGENETIC DIFFERENTIATIO N OF 2 AFRICAN MOUSE-SPECIES OF GENUS MUS (RODENTIA, MURIDAE), Genetika, 34(1), 1998, pp. 93-99
Karyotypes of two African mouse species, Mus mahomet, 2n = 36, NFa = 3
4 (34A + XA + YA) and Mus sp. A, 2n = 34, NFa = 32 (32A + XA + YA), fr
om five localities of the Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia, were
analyzed. In both species all autosomes contained C-positive pericent
romeric blocks. In M. mahomet, heterochromatin blocks of different chr
omosomes varied in size. In addition, the X chromosomes of both specie
s contained a pericentromeric block and showed more intensive staining
throughout the chromosome. The Y chromosome was two times larger in M
us sp. A than in M. mahomet and C-positive in both species. Comparativ
e analysis of G-banding patterns revealed a similarity with respect to
nine autosomes and the X chromosome. Autosome 1 of Mus sp, A was demo
nstrated to result from centromere-telomere fusion of two M. mahomet a
crocentrics, The other five autosomes represent different linkage grou
ps determining a specificity of the karyotypes. The karyotypes of M. m
ahomet and Mus sp. A were also compared with that of M. musculus. The
evolution of M. mahomet and Mus sp. A karyotypes was shown to have inv
olved structural rearrangements in 10 and 12 autosomes, respectively.
The high karyological divergence confirmed molecular phylogenetic data
. The cytogenetic differences T of M. musculus C from M. mahomet and M
us sp. A are high enough to different genera.