Increased genome size is caused by heterochromatin addition in two non-related bat species, Hesperoptenus doriae and Philetor brachypterus (Vespertilionidae, Chiroptera, Mammalia)

The average genome size (GS) of bats, which are the only mammals capable of powered flight, is approximately 18% smaller than that of closely related mammalian orders. The low nuclear DNA content of Chiroptera is comparable to that of birds, which are also characterized by a high metabolic rate. Only a few chiropteran taxa possess notable amounts of constitutive heterochromatin. Here, we studied the karyotypes of two non-related vesper bat species with unusually high amounts of constitutive heterochromatin: Hesperoptenus doriae and Philetor brachypterus. Conventional staining methods and whole-chromosome painting with probes derived from Myotis myotis (2n = 44), showing a karyotype close to that of the presumed ancestor of Vespertilionidae, revealed Robertsonian fusions as the main type of rearrangement leading to the exceptionally reduced diploid chromosome number of 2n = 26 in both species. Moreover, both karyotypes are characterized by large blocks of pericentromeric heterochromatin composed of CMA-positive and DA-DAPI-positive segments. In H. doriae, the heterochromatin accumulation has resulted in a genome size of 3.22 pg (1C), which is 40% greater than the mean genome size for the family. For P. brachypterus, a genome size of 2.94 pg was determined, representing an increase of about 28%. Most notably, in H. doriae, the presence of additional constitutive heterochromatin correlates with an extended mitotic cell cycle duration in vitro. A reduction in diploid chromosome number to 30 or lower is discussed as a possible cause of the accumulation of pericentromeric heterochromatin in Vespertilionidae.