C, Q, and restriction enzyme banding of the chromosomes in brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus)

Abstract

The brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and the Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) represent different phylogenetic lines of the salmonid fish genus Salvelinus. Chromosome banding studies utilizing C, Q, and restriction enzymes reveal differences between the two species for the amount and sequence composition of their heterochromatic DNA. Arctic charr, the more recently evolved of the two species, possesses more C and Q bands than the brook trout. With the exception of Alu I, the banding patterns produced by restriction enzymes bear a close resemblance to the C band pattern. Alu I eliminates staining from large pericentromeric regions, including the centromeric heterochromatin, in the chromosomes of both species and from some telomeric regions in Arctic charr. These findings show that the evolutionary divergence of the Arctic charr from the brook trout has been accompanied by accumulation of heterochromatic DNA and subsequent sequence divergence.