Chromosomal painting shows that “marked chromosomes” in lesser apes and Old World monkeys are not homologous and evolved by convergence

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Abstract
Cytogeneticists have long held that the single pair of metacentric, NOR-bearing “marked chromosomes” in lesser apes (Hylobatidae) and Old World monkeys (Cercopithecidae) are homologous. Hylobatids have sometimes been excluded from Hominoidea (great apes and humans) and phylogenetically allied with the lower primates, primarily on the basis of this shared “trait.” However, in situ hybridization of human chromosome-specific DNA probes to chromosomes of Hylobates lar, H. syndactylus, H. concolor, Cercopithecus aethiops, Macaco, fuscata, Colobus guereza, and Presbytis cristata showed that the so-called “marked chromosomes” in Hylobatidae and Cercopithecidae evolved by convergence. Therefore, “marked chromosomes” cannot be used to exclude gibbons from Hominoidea or to link Hylobatidae with monkeys. Chromosomal painting is a powerful tool to resolve problems of chromosomal homology and helps eliminate phylogenetic errors due to confusing convergence with homology. Chromosomal painting improves the confidence in using cytogenetic data for evolutionary studies, especially in phytogeny and taxonomy.

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