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Abstract:
Chromatin diminution is defined as chromosomal fragmentation, followed by the elimination of part of the chromosome during mitosis. The process was first observed in early cleavage divisions of the parasitic nematode Parascaris equorum embryo by Boveri in 1887. It was later found to also occur in some other parasitic nematodes, as well as a number of unicellular and metazoan species in diverse taxonomic groups. While chromatin diminution occurs in diverse higher order taxa, within individual taxa, it occurs only in a rather small number of species. The process appears to play different biological roles in different organisms, may use different mechanisms and is likely to have arisen multiple times during evolution.
