Fig. 6.

Routes of double minute elimination. a Double minutes are eliminated from cells when they integrate into a chromosome, thereby forming an HSR. Proposedly, double minute integration is a random event that is selected for when selective pressure is lost. Formed HSRs may serve as reservoirs of double minutes, generating new double minutes when selective pressures are in favour. b The fate of micronuclei containing double minutes are manifold. Double minutes may be lost through micronucleation, through cell death or other not fully characterized mechanisms