Bridges between chromosomes

Résumé Dans les cultures de cellules du triton, les ponts interchromosomaux peuvent se former dans les figures métaphasiques sous l'influence d'une solution hypotonique. Ce résultat, obtenu au microscope à la lumière ordinaire, pose la question de savoir si les ponts déjà décrits dans les micrographes électroniques sont également dus à l'emploi des solutions hypotoniques.     

Ring chromosomes and leukaemia

Summary The observation of 2 leukaemic patients with ring chromosomes, and their comparison with a few previously reported cases, suggests a close association between this rare chromosomal abnormality and erythroleukaemia and indicate a poor prognostic significance of this finding.     

Ring chromosomes and leukaemia.

The observation of 2 leukaemic patients with ring chromosomes, and their comparison with a few previously reported cases, suggests a close association between this rare chromosomal abnormality and erythroleukaemia and indicate a poor prognostic significance of this finding.     

Association of human satellited chromosomes

Résumé On présente ici les résultats de l'examen de trois cents cellules humaines métaphasées afin de démontrer que dans le karyotype humain, tous les acrocentriques ont une part active dans l'association des satellites. Les chromosomes acrocentriques homologues aussi bien que les chromosomes acrocentriques non-homologues laissent voir ce phénomène avec des fréquences relativement hautes.

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Acknowledgments: I would like to thank Mr. B. McLaverty for helping with the chromosome preparations.     

Action of diphenylhydantoin on chromosomes

The effect of diphenyl hydantoin, (DPH) a nonbarbituate anticonvulsant drug, on chromosomes and fertility was tested in cultured human lymphocytes, mouse fertility, and rat maternal marrow chromosomes and fetal development. Whole human blood from 5 male and 5 female subjects was cultured for 68 hours with phytohemagglutinin, then incubated for 2 hours in isotonic salts with .05-.3 mg per ml DPH, .02 mcg per ml colchicine, or .4 mg per ml sodium diethylbarbiturate. The mean number of metaphases per 1000 stimulated cells was 10.0 in controls, 40.3 with colchicine, 27.9 with diethylbarbiturate, and 30.5 with .25 mg DPH per ml. Both diphenylbarbiturate and DPH produced linear dose effect curves. These results were demonstrated not to be due to urea, since there were no differences in urea content, with a 2 hour urease micromethod. Mouse fertility was totally inhibited in 6 virgin mice given .1mg DPH daily for 10 days compared to 41 pups both of 6 control mice. In 6 pregnant rats given 25 mg DPH per 100 gm/orally 4 times daily for 2 days on gestation Days 7 and 8, there were 5 rats with all fetuses resorbed and 1 rat with 3 living and several resorptions. 6 controls had 6-14 normal fetuses each. 50 metaphase plates from each rat's femoral marrow and each fetus were examined 2 hous after injecting .3 mg colchicine per 100 gm. 30% of the metaphase cells from treated females and fetuses showed strongly contracted chromosomes and reduced number os "pulverized" chromosomes. These phenomena may have been due to inhibition by DPH of folic acid metabolism which is involved in purine synthesis.     

Supernumerary chromosomes inDrosophila nasuta albomicana

Summary Supernumerary chromosomes have been detected in the karyotype ofD.n. albomicana. Their number varies from one to three. They are the smallest elements in the karyotype. Karyotypes ofD.n. albomicana with and without supernumerary chromosomes have been presented.     

Induction of uncoiled chromosomes by vibration

Summary Chromatin condensation during metaphase can be removed by simple vibration of metaphase cells prior to fixation. Uncoiled chromosome arms consist of long threads with dense regions at irregular distances each from the other.Acknowledgment. This work is supported by the Hellenic Anticancer Institute.     

Gene controlled condensation in individual chromosomes

Summary When cells were irradiated with variable doses of gamma rays, 0.33% showed the appearance of single decondensed chromosomes (SDC) at the moment at which all the other chromosomes of the complement exhibited the normal condensed state corresponding to metaphase stages. Several hypotheses are discussed to explain the origin of SDC. It appears that the most reasonable mechanism to explain our observations is to assume that the process of chromosome condensation is independently controlled in each individual chromosome by a gene/s located in each one of the chromosomes of the complement. A radiation-induced deficiency in one of these genes may produce an impairement in the normal process of condensation of the carrier chromosome which would give rise to SDC.This work was supported by grants from CIC and CONICET.Acknowledgments. I wish to thank Dr J.M. Andrieu who kindly performed the irradiation of the specimens.     

Supernumerary chromosomes in Drosophila nasuta albomicana

Supernumerary chromosomes have been detected in the karyotype of D.n.albomicana. Their number varies from one to three. They are the smallest elements in the karyotype. Karyotypes of D.n.albomicana with and without supernumerary chromosomes have been presented.     

Sensitivity to mutagens ofRumex acetosa chromosomes

Résumé Des graines deRumex acetosa ont été soit irradiées par les rayons du⁶⁰Co (100 à 3000 rads) soit traitées par deux agents mutagènes chimiques: le MMS et le MNU. Le MNU est plus efficace que le MMS comme inducteur de lésions chromosomiques. Les spectres des différents types d'aberrations chromosomiques produites par les 3 agents sont différents et les cellules mâles sont plus sensibles que les cellules femelles. Une sensibilité supérieure des chromosomes sexuels aux deux agents chimiques a été mise en évidence.     

Fluorescence replication banding of frog chromosomes

To identify individual chromosomes of a frog karyotype by their fluorescence banding patterns, chromosomes were stained with actinomycin D and 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) after incorporation of BrdU during the late S-phase. The chromosomes of three Rana species which were selected for this study (R. ridibunda, R. lessonae and R. japonica) showed well-defined late replication bands. The fluorescence patterns obtained were the reverse of those produced by a 4Na-EDTA Giemsa-staining technique. Fluorescence patterns of the two water frog species (R. ridibunda and R. lessonae) were similar to each other, except for the different fluorescence of the centromeric heterochromatin, which gave extremely bright signals in R. ridibunda but no signal in R. lessonae. Experiments also showed differences between the fluorescence patterns of R. lessonae chromosome 13 in the Italian and Luxembourgian populations. These results sho w that the fluorescence replication banding using actinomycin D and DAPI is very effective in identifying individual frog chromosomes and detecting their structural changes. Received 7 June 1996; received after revision 23 July 1996; accepted 21 August 1996     

A frog with highly evolved sex chromosomes

Summary Highly differentiated ZZ/ZW sex chromosomes and an exceptionally low genome, size were found in the karyotypes ofPyxicephalus adspersus (Anura, Ranidae). The W-chromosome is considerably smaller than the Z-chromosome and consists to a very great proportion of constitutive heterochromatin. The DNA content of this species and the chromosome length have the lowest values determined in the Ranidae to date.This study was supported by a grant from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. We thank Professor W. Engel for his support and interest.