Comparison of the Chromosome Banding Pattern in the 2 n = 56 Cytotypes of Nannospalax leucodon and N. xanthodon from Turkey

• Published in: TheScientificWorld Vol. 2014; pp. 1 - 7
• Main Authors: Arslan, Atilla, Arısoy, Apdil, Zima, Jan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2014
• ISSN: 2356-6140; 1537-744X
• DOI: 10.1155/2014/121690

We present the karyotype characteristics of five cytotypes of mole rats ( Nannospalax ) with 56 chromosomes revealed by the C-banding and AgNOR staining analyses. We attempt to investigate if the specific distinction between the populations from Thrace ( N. leucodon ) and Anatolia ( N. xanthodon ) is reflected also in their karyotypic differentiation. The specimens from each of the five populations studied revealed a distinct karyotype which was different from those found in other populations. The fundamental number of autosomal arms varied from 68 to 72. The amount of C-heterochromatin was larger in the Thrace sample of N. leucodon compared to the Anatolian population of N. xanthodon . The active NOR sites were recorded on five autosomal pairs in N. leucodon , whereas only three or four pairs bearing NOR were observed in N. xanthodon . Differences between the studied populations were quantified in the analysis of the distribution pattern of the C-positive bands and the AgNOR sites in individual chromosomes which indicated a basal position of the Thrace sample of N. leucodon and its divergence from other studied populations. The karyotypes of the 56-chromosome populations of N. leucodon and N. xanthodon are thus distinctly different.