Implications of the genetic divergence between European wild mice with Robertsonian translocations from the viewpoint of mitochondrial DNA

Abstract

Genetic divergences between the wild mouse populations with various Robertsonian translocations from the Poschiavo Valley, Yugoslavia, Milan and the Apenninies, were estimated based on the mitochondrial (mt) DNAs. The mtDNAs isolated from the liver were analysed by agarose slab-gel electrophoresis after digestion with eight kinds of restriction endonucleases: BamHI, EcoRI, HindII, HindIII, PstI, HpaI, HpaII and BgII. These preparations were further used to make restriction maps, from which sequence divergence between each Rb variation was calculated to be 0·2–2·2%. These rather larger values appear to be in conflict with the present concept that the Rb variations occurred during the last several thousand years. Both, however, might be reconciled by assuming genetic introgression of the founder with a small number of Rb translocations into other subspecies populations genetically remote and the subsequent rapid accumulation of Rb translocations unique to each population due to an unknown mechanism occurring specifically in the intersubspecies hybrids between M. m. domesticus and the other M. m. subspecies. This was the case also in a new Rb (9.15) translocation obtained from Ogasawara Islands in Japan which was the intersubspecies hybrid between M. m. molossinus and M. m. domesticus. © 1984, Cambridge University Press. All rights reserved.