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Placement of genes for ribosomal RNA within the nucleolar organizing body of Zea mays

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Abstract

A maize strain that carried a reciprocal translocation between chromosome 6 and a B chromosome (TB6a) was used in this study. The break in chromosome 6 transected the nucleolar organizing body at approximately the cytological midpoint, and the break in the B was one third the distance from its distal end. As a result both chromosomes 6-B and B-6 contained a portion of the nucleolar organizing body. Because of nondisjunction of chromosome B-6 at the second microspore division after meiosis, crosses between plants carrying six to eight of these chromosomes and homozygous for chromosome 6-B, produced progeny that had between one and about nine chromosomes B-6. Thus a quantitative series of nucleolar organizing body fragments was produced. Molecular hybridization experiments with ribosomal-RNA and DNAs extracted from these plants revealed 1) that genes coding for rRNA were located in the nucleolar organizer fragments on either side of the original translocation breakpoint and 2) that with each additional nucleolar organizer fragment provided by the chromosomes B-6, there is a proportional increase in ribosomal-DNA content. The most important conclusion to be derived from these studies is that the vast majority, if not all, of the ribosomal-RNA genes are unambiguously located within the nucleolar organizing body [with possibly a small percentage of them in the adjacent achromatic gap (Givens and Phillips, 1973, abstract)]. This placement is consistent with that of Givens and Phillips who used a quite different cytogenetic approach. The preciseness of previous determinations in Drosophila, and Xenopus allowed their placement only to the region of the nucleolar organizer. This study showed no evidence for a disproportionate replication of rDNA as a function of different amounts of nucleolar organizing material.

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Abbreviations

rDNA:

ribosomal-DNA

rRNA:

ribosomal-RNA

NO:

nucleolar organizer

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  1. Department of Genetics, Iowa State University, 50010, Ames, Iowa, USA

    Earle B. Doerschug

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Doerschug, E.B. Placement of genes for ribosomal RNA within the nucleolar organizing body of Zea mays . Chromosoma 55, 43–56 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00288326

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