DNA/Histone Ratio in Different Regions of Polytene Chromosomes in the Embryo Suspensor Cells of Phaseolus Coccineus

SUMMARYThe DNA/histone ratio was calculated through Feulgen/fast green absorption in different regions of polytene chromosomes in Phaseolus coccineus embryo suspensor cells. A great variability of ratios, related with the structural characteristics of DNA in the different regions, has been found. This seems to indicate that complexes of histone with DNA may depend on changes in DNA metabolic activity. In one and the same cell, and even in one and the same chromosome, different chromosome segments have different DNA/histone ratios.These findings are discussed in relation to some characteristics of polytene chromosomes in Phaseolus suspensor cells

molecular and chromosomal characterization of repeated and single copy dna sequences in the genome of dasypyrum villosum

Restriction fragment length polymorphism of ribosomal DNA repeated unit and single-copy DNA fragments and chromosomal distribution of a highly repeated sequence, have been studied to assess molecular markers and the extent of their heterogeneity in Dasypyrum villosum. Substantial variation has been found for the length of the intergenic spacer of ribosomal genes clustered in different alleles at Nor- VI locus of heterozygous individuals, but not within the cluster of rDNA of homozygous individuals. After Southern blots and hybridization to an intergenic spacer probe, each cluster of rDNA was detected as a single band with at least four variants differing for the number of 130 bp subrepeats in the intergenic spacer. One recombinant plasmid contained a 2270 bp DNA insert from the D. villosum genome that upon Sph I restriction endonuclease digestion was cleaved in three 380 bp repeat elements and one 1090 bp fragment. When Southern blots of Sph 1 digested D. villosum DNAs of different genotypes were hybridized to the 32P-labelled 380 bp repeat, a distinct ladder consisting of multiples of a basic repeat unit of about 380 bp in length was revealed on autoradiograms. The in situ hybridization of the 3H-labelled 380 bp repeat element showed that one chromosome pair (7V) was not labelled. In the other pairs, silver grains remained clustered at or near the telomeres. Dot-blot hybridization analysis of DNAs from a range of diploid, tetraploid, and hexaploid Triticeae species indicated that the 380 bp repeated element was a specific feature of the D. villosum genome. Other cloned DNA sequences of D. villosum showed a large restriction length polymorphism and one was located on V chromosomes

CYTOPHOTOMETRY OF NUCLEAR-DNA IN BUDS AND FLOWERS OF NICOTIANA-TABACUM

Feulgen/DNA absorptions were measured by scanning cytophotometry on the nuclei of meristematic cells in buds and flowers of Nicotiana tabacum developing in vivo or regenerating in vitro from thin cell layers excised from different plant parts and characterized by significant changes in the amount and organization of nuclear DNA. The results obtained indicated that, in vivo, nuclear DNA contents were significantly higher in flowers than in buds. Significant differences in the amount of nuclear DNA were also observed when comparing buds developing in vivo and in vitro and, among the latter, those regenerated from explants taken from different plant parts. Flowers developed in vivo and those regenerated in vitro, independent of which explants they were formed from, always have the same DNA content. These findings seem to suggest that rapid quantitative changes in the nuclear DNA having a possible role in developmental regulation can occur in Nicotiana tabacum