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Structural differentiation of the kinetochore in rye and Agapanthus

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Summary

  1. (1)

    The kinetochore of the pachytene chromosomes of Secale cereale was found to consist of the following components(starting from one end): a pair of almost unstained fibrillae, a chromomere pair, a pair of deeply stained fibrillae, another chromomere pair and again an almost unstained fibrilla pair. In the interior zone of the kinetochore, which is formed by the deeply stained fibrilla pair, one and two chromomeres have been observed. The presence of these chromomeres demonstrates that the interior zone has also a compound structure, consisting of minor chromomeres that become visible under particular conditions. In some of the pachytene chromosomes of Agapanthus umbellatus two chromomere pairs of different size united by a deeply stained fibrilla pair and connected with the arms by almost unstained fibrilla pairs were found at the kinetochore. This structural pattern has a characteristic egg-shaped appearance.

  2. (2)

    The kinetochore structure is essentially the same in both species, but it differs in the degree of pairing and size relations of the kinetochoric chromomeres.

  3. (3)

    This well differentiated structure of the kinetochore provides a material basis which allows for a comprehensive picture of the formation of kinetochores with new structures and properties. Such kinetochores have been obtained in rye and they represent rearrangements of the original components both in respect to their number and relative position.

  4. (4)

    The two halves of the kinetochore of rye were found to be not only morphologically alike and symmetrical but to be also essentially similar in function. These results are in very good agreement with the easy formation and survival of iso-chromosomes in rye as well as with the successful behaviour of chromosomes with a deleted kinetochore obtained also in rye.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Genetics, University of Lund, Sweden

    A. Lima-de-Faria

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  1. A. Lima-de-Faria
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Lima-de-Faria, A. Structural differentiation of the kinetochore in rye and Agapanthus. Chromosoma 7, 78–89 (1955). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00329720

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00329720

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