Tolerance of autosomal imbalance by the Syrian hamster (Mesocricetus auratus).

Cytogenetic and transmission data are given for a number of radiation-induced and spontaneous chromosomal changes which show that the Syrian hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) can tolerate a considerable amount of autosomal imbalance without phenotypic effect. It is suggested that the reason for this may lie in the very large amount of late-replicating chromatin present in this species.