Intragenomic movement and concerted evolution of satellite DNA in Peromyscus: evidence from in situ hybridization.

Four DNA probes isolated from Peromyscus leucopus were used to examine intra- and interspecific variation in the chromosomal location of satellite DNA in the genus Peromyscus. All four probes hybridized to the centromeric regions of all chromosomes in all species of Peromyscus examined but did not hybridize to the majority of heterochromatic regions in closely related non-Peromyscus species. One probe contains a nonsatellite repetitive sequence. The implications of these data to the evolution of genome organization are discussed.