Skip to main content

The role of acrocentric chromosomes in nucleolar organization

I. Correlation between the loss of acrocentric chromosomes and a decrease in the number of nucleoli in meningioma cell cultures

Virchows Archiv B volume 11, pages 251–256 (1972)Cite this article

Summary

Only few human meningiomas show a normal karyotype whereas in most of them a G-Chromosome loss is the primary cytogenetic event, often followed by the loss of further, mostly acrocentric, chromosomes. As the karyotype of each meningioma is normally uniform, these tumors seemed to us expecially suitable to investigate which chromosomes are involved in nucleolar organisation. We compared the number of nucleoli in cells of meningioma cultures which have lost none, one, two or more acrocentric chromosomes. Between tumours with normal karyotype and those showing a G monosomy only a slight difference was found. However there was a highly significant decrease in the nucleolar count after the loss of two or more acrocentric chromosomes (p<0.0l). The loss of non-acrocentric chromosomes did not influence the number of nucleoli. Furthermore we observed that meningioma cells being cultured only for 2–3 days, contained less nucleoli than cells of cultures from the 7th to 9th day (p<0.01). Already in this early stage of proliferation a strongly diminished number of nucleoli appeared in tumours having lost more than one acrocentric chromosome. These results prove acrocentric chromosomes play the most important role in nucleolar organisation.

Zusammenfassung

Nur wenige menschliche Meningeome zeigen einen normalen Chromosomensatz, während bei den meisten der Verlust eines G-Chromosoms zu beobachten ist, auf den oft der Verlust weiterer, meist akrozentrischer, Chromosomen folgt. Da der Chromosomensatz in den einzelnen Meningeomen meist einheitlich ist, erscheinen diese Tumoren besonders für die Untersuchung geeignet, welche Chromosomen an der Nucleolusorganisation beteiligt sind. Zu diesem Zweck verglichen wir die Nucleolenzahlen in Meningeomkulturen die kein, ein, zwei oder mehr akrozentrische Chromosomen verloren hatten. Dabei fand sich nur ein geringer Unterschied zwischen Tumoren mit normalem Chromosomensatz und solchen mit einer G-Monosomie. Ein hochsignifikanter Rückgang der Nucleolenzahl war jedoch bei Verlust von 2 oder mehr akrozentrischen Chromosomen zu beobachten (P<0.01). Ein Verlust anderer Chromosomen hatte keinen Einfluß auf die Nucleolenzahl.

Es konnte weiterhin beobachtet werden, daß bei nur 2–3tägiger Züchtungsdauer die Nucleolenzahl in allen untersuchten Meningeomgruppen signifikant niedriger war, als bei einer Kulturdauer von 7–9 Tagen (P<0.01). Bereits in diesem frühen Wachstumsstadium der Meningeomkulturen wurde eine stark verminderte Nucleolenzahl bei den Tumoren festgestellt, die mehrere akrozentrische Chromosomen verloren hatten.

Die Ergebnisse stützen die Annahme, daß die akrozentrischen Chromosomen den entscheidenden Anteil an der Nucleolusorganisation haben.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

References

  • Barr, H. J., Esper, H.: Nucleolar size in cells of Xenopus leavis in relation to nucleolar competition. Exp. Cell Res.31, 211 (1963).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berns, M. W., Ohnuki, Y., Rounds, D. E., Olson, R. S.: Modification of nucleolar expression following laser microirradiation of chromosomes. Exp. Cell Res.60, 133–138 (1970).

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ferguson-Smith, M. A.: The sites of nucleolus formation in human pachytene chromosomes. Cytogenetics3, 124–134 (1964).

    Google Scholar 

  • Gonzalez, P., Nardone, R. M.: Cyclic nucleolar changes during the cell cycle. I. Variations in number, size, morphology and position. Exp. Cell Res.50, 599–615 (1968).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heneen, W. K., Nichols, W. W.: Persistence of nucleoli in short term and long term cultures and in direct bone marrow preparations in mammalian materials. J. Cell Biol.31, 543–561 (1966).

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mark, J.: Chromosomal patterns in human meningiomas. Europ. J. Cancer6, 489–498 (1970).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, L., Brown, D. D.: Variation in the activity of nucleolar organizers and their ribosomal gene content. Chromosoma (Berl.)28, 430–444 (1969).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Petersen, G. B., Therkelsen, A. J.: Number of nucleoli in female and male human cells in tissue culture. Exp. Cell Res.28, 590–592 (1962).

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Porter, I. H., William, F. B., Brown, C. D., Paul, G.: Recent advances in molecular pathology : Some aspects of chromosome change in cancer. Exp. molec. Path.11, 340–367 (1969).

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Singer, H., Zang, K. D.: Cytologische und cytogenetische Untersuchungen an Hirntumoren. I. Die Chromosomenpathologie des menschlichen Meningioms. Humangenetik9, 172–184 (1970).

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Therkelsen, A. J.: Frequency of sex chromatin and number of nucleoli in cells grown in tissue cultures from normal human subjects and human subjects with supernumerary X-chromosomes. Acta path. microbiol. scand., Sect. A78, 295–304 (1970).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yerganian, G.: Cytological maps of some isolated human pachytene chromosomes. Amer. J. Hum. Genet,9, 42–48 (1957).

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yerganian, G.: Chromosome cytology of medical anomalies. In: Radiation induced chromosome aberations; ed.: S. Wolff, p. 259. New York: Columbia University Press 1963

    Google Scholar 

  • Zang, K. D., Singer, H.: Chromosomal constitution of meningiomas. Nature (Lond.)216, 84–85 (1967).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Affiliations

  1. Max-Planck-Institut für Psychiatrie München, Deutschland

    H. Zankl & K. D. Zang

Authors
  1. H. Zankl
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. K. D. Zang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

This study was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Za 32/9).

We thank Mrs. Jutta Winkler, Miss Helma Büscher and Mr. Werner Kofler for skilful assistance in tissue culture and chromosome preparation.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zankl, H., Zang, K.D. The role of acrocentric chromosomes in nucleolar organization. Virchows Arch. Abt. B Zellpath. 11, 251–256 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02889403

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02889403

Keywords

  • Meningioma
  • Normal Karyotype
  • Nucleolar Organization
  • Acrocentric Chromosome
  • Meningioma Cell