Variation in ribosomal RNA gene number in mouse chromosomes.

Hybridization of 125-I-ribosomal RNA to mouse chromosomes in situ produced significant differences in grain count at known rDNA sites, depending on the strains from which they were derived. This is interpreted to mean that the number of rRNA genes in a given nucleolar chromosome, and in the entire genome, is polymorphic among strains and among outbred individuals.