title: Genome size evaluation in Tetraodontiform fishes from the Neotropical region.
abstract: Smooth pufferfish of the family Tetraodontidae had become pure genomic models because of the remarkable compaction of their genome. This trait seems to be the result of DNA loss following its divergence from the sister family Diodontidae, which possess larger genomes. In this study, flow cytometry was used for estimate the genome size of four pufferfish species from the Neotropical region. Cytogenetic data and confocal microscopy were also used attempting to confirm relationships between DNA content and cytological parameters. The haploid genome size was 0.71 + or - 0.03 pg for Sphoeroides greeleyi, 0.34 + or - 0.01 pg for Sphoeroides spengleri, 0.82 + or - 0.03 pg for Sphoeroides testudineus (all Tetraodontidae), and 1.00 + or - 0.03 pg for Chilomycterus spinosus (Diodontidae). These differences are not related with ploidy level, because 46 chromosomes are considered basal for both families. The value for S. spengleri represents the smallest vertebrate genome reported to date. Since erythrocyte cell and nuclear sizes are strongly correlated with genome size, the variation in this last is considered under both adaptive and evolutionary perspectives.
authors: Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil. rafanoleto@yahoo.com.br
authors: Rafael Bueno
authors: RB
authors: Noleto
authors: Fernando
authors: F
authors: de Souza Fonseca Guimarães
authors: Katia Sabrina
authors: KS
authors: Paludo
authors: Marcelo Ricardo
authors: MR
authors: Vicari
authors: Roberto Ferreira
authors: RF
authors: Artoni
authors: Marta Margarete
authors: MM
authors: Cestari
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D016678:Genome / Q000235:genetics*; D007621:Karyotyping; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D013045:Species Specificity; D023721:Tetraodontiformes / Q000235:genetics*