Different repetitive DNA sequences make up heterochromatin in Meliponini

Repetitive DNA sequences have been related to the maintenance of heterochromatin, evolution, and speciation, mainly due to the variations to which they are subject. Bees of the Meliponini tribe generally possess large amounts of heterochromatin that occupy the long arm of the chromosomes or even almost the entire chromosome. Although widely studied by conventional methods, little is known about the composition of these regions. Thus, this study aimed to analyze a repetitive sequence of Tetragonisca angustula and compare it with other genera in order to broaden the understanding of the evolution of these sequences. The results indicate that the isolated repeating DNA sequence of Tetragonisca angustula is present in the heterochromatin of all chromosomes of this species and in Tetragonisca fiebrigi . However, the same was not observed for the other evaluated species, which suggests that the isolated sequence is conserved within the genus Tetragonisca and that, in the other genera, the sequences that compose the heterochromatin may have undergone different processes of diversification or have arisen independently.