Korean field mouse (Apodemus peninsulae) shows a wide variation in the number of B chromosomes composed of constitutive heterochromatin. For this reason, it provides a good model to study the influence of the number of centromeres and amount of heterochromatin on spatial organization of interphase nuclei. We analyzed the three-dimensional organization of fibroblast and spermatocyte nuclei of the field mice carrying a different number of B chromosomes using laser scanning microscopy and 3D fluorescence in situ hybridization. We detected a co-localization of the B chromosomes with constitutive heterochromatin of the chromosomes of the basic set. We showed a non-random distribution of B chromosomes in the spermatocyte nuclei. Unpaired B chromosomes showed a tendency to occur in the compartment formed by the unpaired part of the XY bivalent.
Keywords: A chromosomes; B chromosomes; FISH on three-dimensionally preserved nuclei; FISH sur des noyaux ayant préservé leur structure tridimensionnelle; architecture tridimensionnelle du noyau; centromeres; centromères; chromosomes A; chromosomes B; confocal microscopy; microscopie confocale; spermatocytes; three-dimensional architecture of the nucleus.