Chromosoma

, Volume 98, Issue 2, pp 109–116 | Cite as

Differential decondensation of mitotic chromosomes during hypotonic treatment of living cells as a possible cause of G-banding: an ultrastructural study

  • Olga V. Zatsepina
  • Vladimir Y. Polyakov
  • Yuri S. Chentsov
Article
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Revised:

Abstract

The chromosomal ultrastructure of Chinese hamster cells treated with 0.075 M KCl — a solution ordinarily used for making preparations of spread chromosomes — was studied. The hypotonic treatment was shown to result in differential decondensation of chromosomes which consists in the uneven distribution of deoxyribonucleoprotein (DNP) fibrils along chromatids. Fixation of cells with methanol acetic acid causes an abrupt restructuring of chromosomes. However, the DNP preserves its uneven distribution along chromatids. As seen on ultra-thin sections of marker nucleolus organizer chromosomes, the densely packed regions may correspond to G-bands detected in the selfsame chromosomes by standard methods of differential staining. The results suggest that the capacity of chromosomes for differential staining is based on the different resistance of G- and R-bands to the decondensing action of hypotonic solutions on living cells.

Keywords

Acetic Acid Living Cell Fibril Developmental Biology Uneven Distribution 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag 1989

Authors and Affiliations

  • Olga V. Zatsepina
    • 1
  • Vladimir Y. Polyakov
    • 1
  • Yuri S. Chentsov
    • 1
  1. 1.A.N. Belozersky Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Bioorganic ChemistryMoscow State UniversityMoscowRussia

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