biarmed chromosome evolution

During analysis of genome organization in sheep (Ovis aries, 2n = 54, XY/XX), we found a novel chromosomal translocation in an animal expected to be normal, adding to the six ’centric fusions’ previously reported. The translocation was identified as t(8;11) by G-banding and was shown to be centric, involving whole chromosome arms by chromosome painting with probes for Chromosomes (Chrs) 8 and 11. Satellite I and a newly isolated satellite II clone was used to characterize the centromeric regions of both the novel and the three pairs of evolutionarily derived biarmed chromosomes. The novel t(8;11) showed satellite I proximal on both arms with satellite II covering the centromere, while the evolutionarily derived fusion leading to Chrs2 and 3 showed the opposite configuration, not obviously derived by a simple fusion. Chr 1 has lost the satellite I hybridization patterns. The novel t(8;11) provides strong evidence for an intermediate step in evolution of the biarmed chromosomes in sheep. Chromosomal fusions, usually regarded as Robertsonian, are a major feature of karyotype evolution in the Bovids, where the number of autosomal arms (NAA)