Hierarchical order in chromosome-specific human alpha satellite DNA

The alpha satellite DNA family consists of an extensive group of related, highly divergent repeats, each approximately 171 bp in length. Long tandem arrays of alphoid sequences at the centromeric region of each human chromosome are characterized by a multimeric higher-order repeat unit whose organization and nucleotide sequence is specific for a particular chromosome. Analysis of the sequence organization of these diverged chromosomal subsets provides a framework for considering mechanisms of generation of sequence diversity and for understanding evolutionary processes of DNA family homogenization and polymorphism.