title: The largest known chromosome number for a mammal, in a South American desert rodent.
abstract: Tympanoctomys barrerae, a desert specialist member of the family Octodontidae, until now thought to be conservative, and ancestral to South American hystricognath rodents, presents the highest diploid chromosome number (2n = 102) known in a mammal. Unexpectedly, its karyotype was found to be composed mainly of metacentric to sub-metacentric chromosomes. Mechanisms by which such a karyotype may have been derived are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia, Universidad de La Serena, Chile.
authors.forename: L C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Contreras
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Torres-Mura
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Spotorno
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001118:Argentina; D005075:Biological Evolution; D002875:Chromosomes; D004171:Diploidy; D005260:Female; D006570:Heterochromatin; D007621:Karyotyping; D008297:Male; D012377:Rodentia / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D006570:Heterochromatin