High similarity of U2 snDNA sequence between A and B chromosomes in the grasshopper Abracris flavolineata.

B chromosomes are frequently enriched for a wide variety of repetitive DNAs. Among grasshoppers in the species Abracris flavolineata (Ommatolampidinae) the B chromosomes are submetacentric, C-negative and harbor repetitive DNAs such as, U2 snDNA, C 0 t-1 DNA, two Mariner-like elements and some microsatellites. Here, we provide evidence showing the intragenome similarity between the B chromosome and the A complement in A. flavolineata, combining analysis of microdissection and chromosome painting and B chromosome-specific amplification through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of U2 snDNA. Chromosome painting revealed signals spread through the C-negative regions, including the A and B chromosomes. Moreover, significant clustered signals forming bands were observed in some A chromosomes, and for the B chromosome, significant signals were located on both arms, which could be caused by accumulation of repetitive DNA sequences. The C-positive regions did not reveal any signals. Sequence comparison of U2 snDNA between that obtained from a genome without the B chromosome and that from µB-DNA revealed high similarity with the occurrence of four shared haplotypes, one of them (i.e., Hap1) being highly prevalent and putatively ancestral. The highest divergence from Hap1 was observed for Hap3, which was caused by only six mutational steps. These data support an intraspecific origin of the B chromosome in A. flavolineata that is highly similar with the A complement, and the low U2 snDNA sequence diversity observed in the B chromosome could be related to its recent origin, besides intrachromosomal concerted evolution for U2 snDNA repeats in the B chromosome.