[Single copy and repetitive nucleotide sequences in the genome of Echinodermata. II. Nucleotide sequence divergence...

The degree of divergence of short and long repetitive DNA sequences and single copy DNA of five Echinodermata species (sea urchins, starfish, sea-cucumber) was studied by the method of molecular hybridization. Different fractions of 3H-DNA of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus intermedius were hybridized with the DNA of other species. Thermal stability of the hybridized DNA molecules was determined. The results obtained suggest that short repetitive sequences were most conservative during the evolution of Echinodermata. Single copy DNA fractions of closely related sea urchin species (S. intermedius and S. nudus) have more homologous sequences than long repetitive DNA fractions of the same species. The DNA of evolutionary distant species (sea urchin and starfish) have more homologous long repetitive sequences than the single copy ones. All DNA fractions of S. intermedius have sequences hybridized with the DNA of all other species studied: short repetitive sequences--55%, long repetitive sequences--20%, single copy sequences--12%.