Cytogenetics studies in cell cultures of the family Characidae

Abstract

Cell culture has been used in a wide variety of studies, including obtaining quality chromosome preparations. This excellent alternative is still little explored in some cytogenetic groups, among them the family Characidae. It is considered the largest Neotropical fish family with 1126 species and despite all this biodiversity our current knowledge basically concerns the taxonomy and systematic studies of the group. Cytogenetic studies in Characidae reveal a great diversity of karyotypes among species and populations, with a modal diploid number equal to 2n = 50-52 and a fundamental number varying from 56 to 132, which shows a wide variation of the karyotype structure. Considering that the great biodiversity of fish found in the Neotropical region, the difficulty in obtaining good quality chromosomal preparations and lack of cytogenetic information of the great majority of the representatives of the Characidae family, the present study aims to develop cell lines of different species of the family Characidae and to apply classical and molecular cytogenetic techniques, such as the detection of patterns of distribution of constitutive heterochromatin (C-banding), nucleolar organizer regions (Ag-RON) and gene sequences from fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Thus, it is intended to add even more information to this family and of high scientific value on its chromosomal diversity. In addition, the development of these cell lines will add even more information to our cryopreserved cell bank. (AU)