Annu Rev Genet 14: 121-44 (1980)[81158738]
Analyses of the sequence organization and nucleotide sequence of
highly repeated heterochromatic DNAs have recently given insight into
the mechanisms whereby these DNAs change during evolution. These
mechanisms have important implications that limit the possible
functions of tandemly repeated regions in heterochromatin. Moreover,
the use of cloned segments of heterochromatic DNA combined with
classical genetic and cytogenetic methods now allow critical tests of
the role of such sequences in the many known functions of
heterochromatin such as, position effect variegation, chromosome
pairing, meiotic recombination, and chromosome segregation.
This review describes recent results and conclusions obtained from
studies of highly repeated heterochromatic DNA sequences by
restriction endonuclease cleavage, by nucleotide sequence
determination, and from examination of segments of heterochromatic
DNA cloned in recombinant plasmids. These results are discussed in
terms of their implication for possible modes of change and for
possible function, and hence selection, during the evolutionary
process.
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