Analysis of chromosome karyotype and genome size in echiuran Urechis unicinctus Drasche, 1880 (Polychaeta, Urechidae)

By

Qin, Zhenkui
Li, Xueyu
Liu, Danwen
Wang, Qing
Lu, Li
Zhang, Zhifeng

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2019

Original Publication

Comparative cytogenetics : international journal of plant & animal cytogenetics, karyosystematics and molecular systematics

Volume

13

Series / Issue

Issue: 1

Pages

75-85

Subjects

flow cytometry , genome size , karyotype , Urechis unicinctus

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

St. Petersburg, Russia [Published] with technical support of Zoological Institute RAS [2007]-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/CompCytogen.v13i1.31448

 

Abstract

Karyotype and genome size are two primary cytogenetic characteristics of species, which are of great significance to the study of cytogenetics, taxonomy, phylogenesis, evolution as well as molecular biology. However, this basic cytogenetic information in echiurans is lacking. Therefore, we analyzed characteristics of karyotype and genome size in the echiuran worm Urechisunicinctus Drasche, 1880. In this study, coelomic cells of U.unicinctus were used for analyzing the genome size by a flow cytometry with chicken erythrocytes as DNA standard, and the 2C DNA content was determined to be 1.85 pg, which was corresponded to the genome size of 904.58 Mbp approximately. Furthermore, trochophores of U.unicinctus were dissociated and cells were utilized for preparing the chromosomes stained with DAPI, and the karyotype was determined as 2n = 30 (10m + 6sm + 6st + 8t), FN=52. Our data provided the basic cytogenetic information of U.unicinctus, which could be utilized in taxonomic study and whole-genome sequencing in future.