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Polytene chromosome structure at the submicroscopic level

I. A map of region X, 1 — 4E ofDrosophila melanogaster

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Abstract

Electron microscopic observations on sections of squashed glutar-aldehyde-fixed salivary gland X-chromosomes ofDrosophila melanogaster provided an ultrastructural map of the band sequence of region 1A1 to 4E3. Comparison of this map with the map of Bridges (1938) revealed a significantly lower number of bands. Only 67% of the bands depicted in Bridges' map could be identified. This discrepancy seems to be a consequence mainly of the absence of doublet characters of bands on Bridges' map. — A possible relationship between bands and genes is discussed for some regions, including the white-Notch region. It appears that a one to one relationship between bands and genes does exist for two regions, whereas in region 3C1–3C7 more genes than bands are present. In this respect the structural organization of bands at the submicroscopic level is discussed. — The average DNA content of a band at the haploid level is calculated on the basis of the reduction in band number to be 4.5 × 10−5 picogram.

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Berendes, H.D. Polytene chromosome structure at the submicroscopic level. Chromosoma 29, 118–130 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01183664

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