Centromeric enrichment of LINE-1 retrotransposon in two species of South American monkeys Alouatta belzebul and Ateles nancymaae (Platyrrhini, Primates)

LINE-1 sequences have been linked to genome evolution, plasticity and speciation; however, despite their importance, their chromosomal distribution is poorly known in primates. In this perspective, we used fluorescence in situ hybridiza-tion (FISH) to map LINE-1 probes onto two representative platyrrhine species, Aotus nancymaae (Cebidae) and Alouatta belzebul (Atelidae), both characterized with high -ly rearranged karyotypes, in order to investigate their chromosomal distribution and role and to better characterize the two genomes. We found centromeric enrichment of LINE-1 sequences on all biarmed and acrocentric chromosomes co-localized with heterochromatin C-positive bands. This distribution led us to hypothesize that LINE 1 sequences may have a role in the centromere architecture and karyotype organization of platyrrhine genomes.