Open AccessN‐banding pattern of holokinetic chromosomes and its relation to chromosome structure
Author(s) -
NOKKALA SEPPO,
NOKKALA CHRISTINA
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
hereditas
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.819
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1601-5223
pISSN - 0018-0661
DOI - 10.1111/j.1601-5223.1984.tb00105.x
Subject(s) - biology , mitosis , chromatid , meiosis , chromosome , centromere , karyotype , genetics , b chromosome , homologous chromosome , kinetochore , small supernumerary marker chromosome , gene
N okkala , S. and N okkala , C. 1984. N‐banding pattern of holokinetic chromosomes and its relation to chromosome structure. — ‐Hereditas 100: 61–65. Lund, Sweden. ISSN 0018–0661. Received April 20, 1983 A new method for N‐banding is described, by which the N‐banding pattern of holokinetic chromosomes in mitosis and meiosis was studied. It was found that, in mitotic chromosomes, the N‐banding method reveals lateral differentiation in holokinetic chromosomes, contrasting the longitudinal differentiation found in chromosomes with a localized centromere (monokinetic); no N‐band positive material was found in meiotic chromosomes. Two hypotheses are advanced to explain the basically different N‐banding patterns in these two chromosome types: (1) N‐band positive material in holokinetic chromosomes is a protein fraction specific to kinetochores known to be present in mitosis, but absent in meiosis, (2) N‐band positive material corresponds to the axial core material described in mammalian mitotic chromosomes, but is situated laterally on the surface of the chromatids in holokinetic chromosomes. The latter possibility suggests that holokinetic and monokinetic chromosomes represent two chromosome types differing fundamentally in their macrostructure.