New insights on the origin of B chromosomes in Astyanax scabripinnis obtained by chromosome painting and FISH.

Chromosome painting (CP) with a probe of B chromosome obtained by microdissection and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with probes of As51 satellite DNA, C( o )t-1 DNA, and 18S and 5S rDNA confirmed sharing of some repetitive DNA but not rDNA between A and B chromosomes in the fish Astyanax scabripinnis. Meiotic analysis revealed a pachytene B chromosome bivalent nearly half the size of its mitotic configuration, suggesting a self-pairing of B chromosome arms. Such an isochromosome nature of somatic B chromosome was further evidenced by CP and FISH. All the findings obtained suggest (i) intraspecific origin of B chromosome, and (ii) evolutionary enrichment of repetitive DNA classes, especially those contained in the C( o )t-1 and the As51 probes, in B chromosome. However, the precise origin of B chromosome in the present species remains to be elucidated by further molecular cytogenetic analysis because of painting of some A chromosome regions with the B chromosome-derived probe.