Physical distribution of SINE elements in the chromosomes of Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout

Abstract

SINE sequences are interspersed throughout virtually all eukaryotic genomes. In the family Salmonidae three families of SINEs have been identified. In this work we have attempted to characterize and locate by means of fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) one of these families (HpaI) in the genome of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Our results show that these SINEs are interspersed throughout all the chromosome pairs except for the heterochromatin-positive areas, generating a banding pattern that could be useful for chromosome identification in both species.