Physical mapping of 18S and 5S rDNA loci and histone H3 gene in grasshopper species of the subfamily Gomphocerinae (Acrididae).

In this study, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis was used to determine and compare the numbers and chromosomal locations of two multigene families (rDNA and histone H3) in four Neotropical species of gomphocerine grasshoppers. FISH using the 18S rDNA probe identified a single site on the S9 chromosome of Amblytropidia sp and Cauratettix borelli, a single site on chromosome M6 of Compsacris pulcher, and two sites (chromosomes L1 and L2) in Orphulella punctata. By contrast, FISH with a 5S rDNA probe identified dispersion of this sequence in the genomes of the four species, with evidence of intraspecific variations. Amblytropidia sp had six to eight FISH signals on autosomal chromosomes, while C. pulcher exhibited a signal only on the M5 bivalent. The histone H3 gene was less variable and was restricted to a single pair in all species. The conservation of the numbers and locations of 18S rDNA and H3 genes in conjunction with data from the literature was useful for evaluating karyotype evolution in this subfamily. The variation in the number and sizes of 5S rDNA sites indicates a process of recent dispersion that might have been mediated by transposition.

Short Communication A small B chromosome in the grasshopper Ommexecha virens (Ommexechidae).

B chromosomes, also called supernumerary or accessory chromosomes, have been characterized as extra elements found in the karyotypes of different eukaryotic species. B chromosomes are nonvital and only occur in some individuals within a species. Moreover, the chromosomes contain silenced genes, and they exhibit heterochromatinization and the accumulation of repetitive DNA and transposons. In the present study, we describe an extra chromosome in the grasshopper Ommexecha virens for the first time, using conventional staining and fluorescent in situ hybridization techniques, and we discuss the possible origin of the B chromosome.

B chromosome prevalence and physical mapping of 18S rDNA and H4 histone sites in the grasshopper Xyleus discoideus angulatus (Romaleidae).

We sampled 11 natural populations of the grasshopper Xyleus discoideus angulatus in Northeastern Brazil to analyze B chromosome frequency and meiotic behavior. We observed a single large B chromosome, resembling the X chromosome, in 29 of the 402 specimens. Eight of the 11 populations had B chromosomes, with a rather broad geographical distribution, suggesting that this is an ancient polymorphism; significant differences were observed in B chromosome prevalence among the populations. Presence of the B chromosome was associated with increased frequency of macrospermatids. Fluorescent in situ hybridization revealed 18S rDNA sites in the pericentromeric regions of the X and L3 chromosomes, although some populations had an additional locus on the M4 chromosome. No variation was found for chromosome location of H4 histone genes, which were always observed in paracentromeric regions of the L2, M4 and X chromosomes, a rather unusual location compared to locations known from the families Acrididae and Proscopiidae. These B chromosomes lacked these two kinds of repetitive DNA, at least in amounts that can be visualized by fluorescent in situ hybridization, suggesting that these B chromosomes did not originate from any of the four chromosomes carrying rDNA or H4 histone genes.