Silva Duílio M Z A, Castro Jonathan P, Goes Caio A G, Utsunomia Ricardo, Vidal Mateus R, Nascimento Cristiano N, Lasmar Lucas F, Paim Fabilene G, Soares Letícia B, Oliveira Claudio, Porto-Foresti Fábio, Artoni Roberto F, Foresti Fausto
Laboratory of Biology and Genetics of Fishes, Department of Structural and Functional Biology, Institute of Biosciences, São Paulo State University, Botucatu 18618-970, SP, Brazil.
Post-Graduate Program in Evolutionary Genetics and Molecular Biology, Department of Genetics and Evolution, Federal University of Sao Carlos, Sao Carlos 13565-905, SP, Brazil.
Animals (Basel). 2022 Aug 25;12(17):2174. doi: 10.3390/ani12172174.
B chromosomes are extra-genomic components of cells found in individuals and in populations of some eukaryotic organisms. They have been described since the first observations of chromosomes, but several aspects of their biology remain enigmatic. Despite being present in hundreds of fungi, plants, and animal species, only a small number of B chromosomes have been investigated through high-throughput analyses, revealing the remarkable mechanisms employed by these elements to ensure their maintenance. Populations of the species complex exhibit great B chromosome diversity, making them a useful material for various analyses. In recent years, important aspects of their biology have been revealed. Here, we review these studies presenting a comprehensive view of the B chromosomes in the complex and a new hypothesis regarding the role of the B chromosome in the speciation process.
B染色体是在一些真核生物的个体和种群细胞中发现的基因组外成分。自首次观察到染色体以来，人们就对其进行了描述，但其生物学的几个方面仍然是个谜。尽管数百种真菌、植物和动物物种中都存在B染色体，但只有少数B染色体通过高通量分析进行了研究，揭示了这些元件用于确保自身维持的显著机制。该物种复合体的种群表现出极大的B染色体多样性，使其成为各种分析的有用材料。近年来，其生物学的重要方面已被揭示。在这里，我们回顾这些研究，对该复合体中的B染色体给出一个全面的观点，并提出一个关于B染色体在物种形成过程中作用的新假说。
