The first insight into Acanthocephalus (Palaeacanthocephala) satellitome: species-specific satellites as potential cytogenetic markers

Acanthocephalan parasites are often overlooked in many areas of research, and satellitome and cytogenetic analyzes are no exception. The species of the genus Acanthocephalus are known for their very small chromosomes with ambiguous morphology, which makes karyotyping difficult. In this study, we per...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Marková, Anna, Orosová, Martina, Mora-Ruiz, Pablo, Benovics, Michal, Lorite, Pedro
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Jaén
Repositorio:RUJA. Repositorio Institucional de la Producción Científica de la Universidad de Jaén
OAI Identifier:oai:ruja.ujaen.es:10953/4638
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10953/4638
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Acanthocephala
Satellite DNA
Repeat
RepeatExplorer2
Fluorescence in situ hybridization
Descripción
Sumario:Acanthocephalan parasites are often overlooked in many areas of research, and satellitome and cytogenetic analyzes are no exception. The species of the genus Acanthocephalus are known for their very small chromosomes with ambiguous morphology, which makes karyotyping difficult. In this study, we performed the first satellitome analysis of three Acanthocephalus species to identify species- and chromosome-specific satellites that could serve as cytogenetic markers. RepeatExplorer2 revealed a remarkably high number of species-specific repeats, with a predominance of satellite DNAs, alongside variations in repetitive content between sexes. Five satellites in A. anguillae, two in A. lucii and six in A. ranae were successfully mapped to chromosomes using FISH. Each satellite showed a clustered hybridization signal at specific chromosomal locations, which allowed us to create a schematic representation of the distribution of satellites for each species. These newly identified satellites proved to be useful chromosomal markers for the accurate identification of homologous chromosome pairs. No FISH-positive signals were observed on the supernumerary chromosomes of A. anguillae and A. lucii, supporting the hypothesis that these chromosomes have recent origin.