title: Molecular evolution of the human chromosome 15 pericentromeric region.
abstract: We present a detailed molecular evolutionary analysis of 1.2 Mb from the pericentromeric region of human 15q11. Sequence analysis indicates the region has been subject to extensive interchromosomal and intrachromosomal duplications during primate evolution. Comparative FISH analyses among non-human primates show remarkable quantitative and qualitative differences in the organization and duplication history of this region - including lineage-specific deletions and duplication expansions. Phylogenetic and comparative analyses reveal that the region is composed of at least 24 distinct segmental duplications or duplicons that have populated the pericentromeric regions of the human genome over the last 40 million years of human evolution. The value of combining both cytogenetic and experimental data in understanding the complex forces which have shaped these regions is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Center for Computational Genomics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals of Cleveland, Cleveland, OH, USA.
authors.forename: D P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Locke
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Pertz
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Misceo
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Archidiacono
authors.forename: E E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Eichler
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002503:Centromere / Q000235:genetics*; D002884:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 15 / Q000235:genetics*; D033481:Chromosomes, Mammalian / Q000235:genetics; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D006071:Gorilla gorilla / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence / Q000379:methods; D008253:Macaca mulatta / Q000235:genetics; D002679:Pan troglodytes / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D011148:Pongo pygmaeus / Q000235:genetics