Molecular distinction between true centric fission and pericentric duplication-fission

Centromere (centric) fission, also known as transverse or lateral centric misdivision, has been defined as the splitting of one functional centromere of a metacentric or submetacentric chromosome to produce two derivative centric chromosomes. It has been observed in a range of organisms and has been ascribed an important role in karyotype evolution; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. We have investigated four cases of apparent centric fission in humans. Two cases show a missing chromosome 22 or 18 that is replaced by two centric ring products, a third case shows two chromosome-10-derived telocentric chromosomes, whereas a fourth case involves the formation of two chromosome-18-derived isochromosomes. In all four cases, results of gross cytogenetic and fluorescence in situ hybridisation analyses were consistent with a simple centric fission event. However, detailed molecular analyses provided evidence in support of centromere duplication as a predisposing mechanism for the observed chromosomal breakage in two of the cases. Results for the third case are consistent with direct centric fission not involving centromere pre-duplication as the likely mechanism. Insufficient material has precluded the further study of the fourth case. The data provide the first molecular evidence for centromere pre-duplication as a possible mechanism to explain the classically assumed simple centric fission events in clinical cytogenetics, karyotype evolution and speciation.     

Molecular Characterization of a Maize B Chromosome Centric Sequence

Supernumerary chromosomes are widespread in the plant kingdom but little is known of their molecular nature or mechanism of origin. We report here the initial cloning of sequences from the maize B chromosome. Our analysis suggests that many sequences are highly repetitive and shared with the normal A chromosomes. However, all clones selected for B-specificity contain at least one copy of a particular repeat. Cytological mapping using B chromosome derivatives and in situ hybridization show that the B specific repeats are derived from the centric region of the chromosome. Sequence analysis of this repeat shows homology to motifs mapped to various plant and animal centromeres and to the maize neocentromere. A precise localization of these sequences among breakpoints within the B centromere and an homology to a facultative centromere, suggest a role for this sequence in centromere function.     

Maize individualized chromosome and derived radiation hybrid lines and their use in functional genomics

The duplicated and rearranged nature of plant genomes frequently complicates identification, chromosomal assignment and eventual manipulation of DNA segments. Separating an individual chromosome from its native complement by adding it to an alien genetic background together with the generation of radiation hybrids from such an addition line can enable or simplify structural and functional analyses of complex duplicated genomes. We have established fertile disomic addition lines for each of the individual maize chromosomes, except chromosome 10, with oat as the host species; DNA is available for chromosome 10 in a haploid oat background. We report on instability and transmission in disomic additions of maize chromosomes 1, 5, and 8; the chromosome 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, and 9 additions appear stable. The photoperiodic response of the two recovered maize chromosome 1 addition lines contrasts to the long-day flowering response of the oat parents and the other addition lines. Only when grown under short days did maize chromosome 1 addition lines set seed, and only one line transmitted the maize chromosome 1 to offspring. Low resolution radiation hybrid maps are presented for maize chromosomes 2 and 9 to illustrate the use of radiation hybrids for rapid physical mapping of large numbers of DNA sequences, such as ESTs. The potential of addition and radiation hybrid lines for mapping duplicated sequences or gene families to chromosome segments is presented and also the use of the lines to test interactions between genes located on different maize chromosomes as observed for ectopic expression of cell fate alterations. Electronic Publication     

Rad51 suppresses gross chromosomal rearrangement at centromere in Schizosaccharomyces pombe

Centromere that plays a pivotal role in chromosome segregation is composed of repetitive elements in many eukaryotes. Although chromosomal regions containing repeats are the hotspots of rearrangements, little is known about the stability of centromere repeats. Here, by using a minichromosome that has a complete set of centromere sequences, we have developed a fission yeast system to detect gross chromosomal rearrangements (GCRs) that occur spontaneously. Southern and comprehensive genome hybridization analyses of rearranged chromosomes show two types of GCRs: translocation between homologous chromosomes and formation of isochromosomes in which a chromosome arm is replaced by a copy of the other. Remarkably, all the examined isochromosomes contain the breakpoint in centromere repeats, showing that isochromosomes are produced by centromere rearrangement. Mutations in the Rad3 checkpoint kinase increase both types of GCRs. In contrast, the deletion of Rad51 recombinase preferentially elevates isochromosome formation. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis shows that Rad51 localizes at centromere around S phase. These data suggest that Rad51 suppresses rearrangements of centromere repeats that result in isochromosome formation.     

Mapping maize sequences to chromosomes using oat-maize chromosome addition materials

Oat- (Avena sativa) maize (Zea mays) chromosome additions are produced by crossing maize and oat. During early embryo development maize chromosomes are preferentially eliminated, and oat plants are often recovered that retain a single maize chromosome. Each of the 10 maize chromosomes recently has been isolated as a separate oat-maize addition. We describe here the mapping of 400 maize sequences to chromosomes using polymerase chain reaction and DNA from the oat-maize addition material. Fifty of the sequences were from cloned markers that had been previously mapped by linkage analysis, and our results were consistent with those obtained using Southern-blot analysis. Previously unmapped expressed sequence tags and sequence tagged sites (350) were mapped to chromosomes. Maize gene sequences and expression data are rapidly being accumulated. Coupling this information with positional information from high throughput mapping programs provides plant biologists powerful tools for identifying candidate genes of interest.     

Cytological and molecular characterization of oat x maize partial hybrids

In cereals, interspecific and intergeneric hybridizations (wide crosses) which yield karyotypically stable hybrid plants have been used as starting points to widen the genetic base of a crop and to construct stocks for genetic analysis. Also, uniparental genome elimination in karyotypically unstable hybrids has been utilized for cereal haploid production. We have crossed hexaploid oat (2n=6x=42, Avena sativa L.) and maize (2n=2x=20, Zea mays L.) and recovered 90 progenies through embryo rescue. Fifty-two plants (58%) produced from oatxmaize hybridization were oat haploids (2n=3x=21) following maize chromosome elimination. Twenty-eight plants (31%) were found to be stable partial hybrids with 1–4 maize chromosomes in addition to a haploid set of 21 oat chromosomes (2n=21+1 to 2n=21+4). Ten of the ninety plants produced were found to be apparent chromosomal chimeras, where some tissues in a given plant contained maize chromosomes while other tissues did not, or else different tissues contained a different number of maize chromosomes. DNA restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) were used to identify the maize chromosome(s) present in the various oat-maize progenies. Maize chromosomes 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 were detected in partial hybrids and chromosomal chimeras. Maize chromosomes 1 and 10 were not detected in the plants analyzed to-date. Furthermore, partial self-fertility, which is common in oat haploids, was also observed in some oat-maize hybrids. Upon selfing, partial hybrids with one or two maize chromosomes showed nearly complete transmission of the maize chromosome to give self-fertile maize-chromosome-addition oat plants. Fertile lines were recovered that contained an added maize chromosome or chromosome pair representing six of the ten maize chromosomes. Four independently derived disomic maize chromosome addition lines contained chromosome 4, one line carried chromosome 7, two lines had chromosome 9, one had chromosome 2, and one had chromosome 3. One maize chromosome-8 monosomic addition line was also identified. We also identified a double disomic addition line containing both maize chromosomes 4 and 7. This constitutes the first report of the production of karyotypically stable partial hybrids involving highly unrelated species from two subfamilies of the Gramineae (Pooideae — oat, and Panicoideae — maize) and the subsequent recovery of fertile oat-maize chromosome addition lines. These represent novel material for gene/ marker mapping, maize chromosome manipulation, the study of maize gene expression in oat, and the transfer of maize DNA, genes, or active transposons to oat.Joint contribution of the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station and USDA-ARS. Scientific journal series paper No. 21 859 of the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station. Mention of a trademark or proprietary product does not constitute a guarantee or warranty by the USDA-ARS or the University of Minnesota and does not imply approval over other products that also may be suitable     

A fission yeast chromosome can replicate autonomously in mouse cells

To test the functional capacity of a fission yeast chromosome in mouse cells, a strain of the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, ED628 Int5, was constructed. A plasmid bearing the SV2NEO gene, which can confer G418 resistance to mouse cells, was integrated at the ura4 locus on S. pombe chromosome III. S. pombe Int5 chromosomes were introduced into mouse C127 cells by PEG-facilitated protoplast fusion. Here we describe two independent G418-resistant cell lines with distinct growth characteristics, F1.1 and F7.1, and examine the structure of material derived from S. pombe Int5 chromosome III in these lines. F1.1 is shown to contain a single rearranged block of chromatin from S. pombe chromosome III integrated into a mouse chromosome, maintained in the absence of selection. In contrast, the data for F7.1 are consistent with the presence of linear, unintegrated copies of S. pombe chromosome III, which are apparently intact and maintained in an unstable but autonomous state. The unstable maintenance of this chromosome may be due to defective centromere function leading to missegregation at mitosis or to over- or underreplication.     

Integration of human alpha-satellite DNA into simian chromosomes: centromere protein binding and disruption of normal chromosome segregation.

Centromeres of mammalian and other complex eukaryotic chromosomes are dominated by one or more classes of satellite DNA. To test the hypothesis that alpha-satellite DNA, the major centromeric satellite of primate chromosomes, is involved in centromere structure and/or function, human alpha-satellite DNA was introduced into African green monkey (AGM) cells. Centromere protein binding was apparent at the sites of integrated human alpha-satellite DNA. In the presence of an AGM centromere on the same chromosome, human alpha-satellite was associated with bridges between the separating sets of chromatids at anaphase and an increased number of lagging chromosomes at metaphase, both features consistent with the integrated alpha-satellite disrupting normal chromosome segregation. These experiments suggest that alpha-satellite DNA provides the primary sequence information for centromere protein binding and for at least some functional aspect(s) of a mammalian centromere, playing a role either in kinetochore formation or in sister chromatid apposition.     

The pachytene chromosomes of maize as revealed by fluorescence in situ hybridization with repetitive DNA sequences

A repetitive DNA sequence, ZmCR2.6c, was isolated from maize based on centromeric sequence CCS1 of the wild grass Brachypodium sylvaticum. ZmCR2.6c is 309 bp in length and shares 65% homology to bases 421–721 of the sorghum centromeric sequence pSau3A9. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) localized ZmCR2.6c to the primary constrictions of pachytene bivalents and to the stretched regions of MI/AI chromosomes, indicating that ZmCR2.6c is an important part of the centromere. Based on measurements of chromosome lengths and the positions of FISH signals of several cells, a pachytene karyotype was constructed for maize inbred line KYS. The karyotype agrees well with those derived from traditional analyses. Four classes of tandemly repeated sequences were mapped to the karyotype by FISH. Repeats 180 bp long are present in cytologically detectable knobs on 5L, 6S, 6L, 7L, and 9S, as well as at the termini and in the interstitial regions of many chromosomes not reported previously. A most interesting finding is the presence of 180-bp repeats in the NOR-secondary constriction. TR-1 elements co-exist with 180-bp repeats in the knob on 6S and form alone a small cluster in 4L. 26S and 5S rRNA genes are located in the NOR and at 2L.88, respectively. The combination of chromosome length, centromere position, and distribution of the tandem repeats allows all chromosomes to be identified unambiguously. The results presented form an important basis for using FISH for physical mapping and for investigating genome organization in maize. Received: 29 June 1999 / Accepted: 10 November 1999     

茅舍血厉螨核型及染色体的C带、G带的研究

本文首次报道了一种革螨——茅舍血厉螨核型及染色体C带、G带的研究。用剖腹取卵法、玻璃纸压片、Giemsa染色,经分析茅舍血厉螨的核型,单倍体n=7,二倍体2n=14。 用氢氧化钡—吉姆萨技术显示茅舍血厉螨染色体C带。在第1、2、4、5染色体上出现恒定的C带部分,第3、6、7染色体上出现不恒定的C带部分。根据C带带型,茅舍血厉螨着丝点的位置可分为近中区域(sm),近端区域(St),末端区域(t)和末端点(T)四类。 G带分析用胰蛋白酶—吉姆萨技术显示。 本文对茅舍血厉螨的核型、革螨染色体研究中螨卵的收集方法和染液的改进、C带带型与着丝粒位置的确定和G带显带问题进行了讨论。     

A complete set of maize individual chromosome additions to the oat genome

All 10 chromosomes of maize (Zea mays, 2n = 2x = 20) were recovered as single additions to the haploid complement of oat (Avena sativa, 2n = 6x = 42) among F(1) plants generated from crosses involving three different lines of maize to eight different lines of oat. In vitro rescue culture of more than 4,300 immature F(1) embryos resulted in a germination frequency of 11% with recovery of 379 F(1) plantlets (8.7%) of moderately vigorous growth. Some F(1) plants were sectored with distinct chromosome constitutions among tillers of the same plant and also between root and shoot cells. Meiotic restitution facilitated development of un-reduced gametes in the F(1). Self-pollination of these partially fertile F(1) plants resulted in disomic additions (2n = 6x + 2 = 44) for maize chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, and 9. Maize chromosome 8 was recovered as a monosomic addition (2n = 6x + 1 = 43). Monosomic additions for maize chromosomes 5 and 10 to a haploid complement of oat (n = 3x + 1 = 22) were recovered several times among the F(1) plants. Although partially fertile, these chromosome 5 and 10 addition plants have not yet transmitted the added maize chromosome to F(2) offspring. We discuss the development and general utility of this set of oat-maize addition lines as a novel tool for maize genomics and genetics.     

Stable telocentric chromosomes produced by centric fission in chinese hamster cells in vitro

Metaphase examination of pseudodiploid Chinese hamster cells revealed that spontaneous breaks or fission occurred rather frequently (2.9%) at the centromeric regions of subtelo- or metacentric chromosomes, resulting in the production of telocentric chromosomes. The centromeric fission appeared to occur in every member of the chromosome complement. An attempt was made to isolate cells possessing thus derived telocentrics from the cell population and gave two clonal lines which were retaining one and two telocentric chromosomes, respectively. Both banding and labeling patterns of these chromosomes indicated unequivocally their X chromosome origin. They were transmitted successively to the daughter cells during a 3-month culture period, showing no tendency to fuse to produce a metacentric chromosome.Contribution No. 897 from the National Institute of Genetics, Japan.     

Homoeologous relationships of rice, wheat and maize chromosomes

A set of cDNA clones, which had previously been mapped onto wheat chromosomes, was genetically mapped onto the chromosomes of rice. The resulting comparative maps make it possible to estimate the degree of linkage conservation between these two species. A number of chromosomal rearrangements, some of which must have involved interchromosomal translocations, differentiate the rice and wheat genomes. However, synteny of a large proportion of the loci appears to be conserved between the two species. The results of this study, combined with those from a recently published comparative map of the rice and maize genomes, suggest that rice, wheat and maize share extensive homoeologies in a number of regions in their genomes. Some chromosomes (e.g. chromosome 4 in rice, chromosomes 2 and 2S in wheat and maize, respectively) may have escaped major rearrangement since the divergence of these species from their last common ancestor. Comparative maps for rice, wheat and maize should make it possible to begin uniting the genetics of these species and allow for transfer of mapping information (including centromere positions) and molecular marker resources (e.g. RFLP probes) between species. In addition, such maps should shed light on the nature of chromosome evolution that accompanied the radiation of grasses in the early stages of plant diversification.     

Characterization of a maize chromosome 4 centromeric sequence: evidence for an evolutionary relationship with the B chromosome centromere

Previous work has identified sequences specific to the B chromosome that are a major component of the B centromere. To address the issue of the origin of the B and the evolution of centromere-localized sequences, DNA prepared from plants without B chromosomes was probed to seek evidence for related sequences. Clones were isolated from maize line B73 without B chromosomes by screening DNA at reduced stringency with a B centromeric probe. These clones were localized to maize centromere 4 using fluorescence in situ hybridization. They showed homology to a maize centromere-mapped sequence, to maize B chromosome centromere sequences, and to a portion of the unit repeat of knobs, which act as neocentromeres in maize. A representative copy was used to screen a BAC library to obtain these sequences in a larger context. Each of the six positive BACs obtained was analyzed to determine the nature of centromere 4-specific sequences present. Fifteen subclones of one BAC were sequenced and the organization of this chromosome 4-specific repeat was examined.     

FISH on avian lampbrush chromosomes produces higher resolution gene mapping

Giant lampbrush chromosomes, which are characteristic of the diplotene stage of prophase I during avian oogenesis, represent a very promising system for precise physical gene mapping. We applied 35 chicken BAC and 4 PAC clones to both mitotic metaphase chromosomes and meiotic lampbrush chromosomes of chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) and Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica). Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) mapping on lampbrush chromosomes allowed us to distinguish closely located probes and revealed gene order more precisely. Our data extended the data earlier obtained using FISH to chicken and quail metaphase chromosomes 1–6 and Z. Extremely low levels of inter- and intra-chromosomal rearrangements in the chicken and Japanese quail were demonstrated again. Moreover, we did not confirm the presence of a pericentric inversion in Japanese quail chromosome 4 as compared to chicken chromosome 4. Twelve BAC clones specific for chicken chromosome 4p and 4q showed the same order in quail as in chicken when FISH was performed on lampbrush chromosomes. The centromeres of chicken and quail chromosomes 4 seem to have formed independently after centric fusion of ancestral chromosome 4 and a microchromosome.     

The volumes and morphology of human chromosomes in mitotic reconstructions

Summary Ten unpretreated normal human male fibroblast cells in mitosis were completely reconstructed from micrographs of between 82 and 119 consecutive serial sections. All 46 chromosomes and their centromeres could be reconstructed in every cell. Measurements of chromosome volumes and centromere indices are presented. The data enabled allocation of all chromosomes to their groups (A to G), and chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 16, 17, 18 and Y were individually identified. Comparisons with published karyotypes showed that volume measurements correlated well with measurements of DNA content and chromosome length. Centromere indices also showed good correlation, but the acrocentric chromosomes were more unequally armed than found by length measurement. Secondary constrictions at the nucleolar organising region were visible on about a third of the acrocentric chromosomes. One chromosome of the C group, number 9, had a diffuse subcentromeric region (DSR) on the long arm, at the position of the constitutive heterochromatin and (in meiotic cells) the paramere.     

Chromosome walking shows a highly homologous repetitive sequence present in all the centromere regions of fission yeast

By cloning centromere-linked genes followed by partial overlapping hybridization, we constructed a 210-kb map encompassing the centromere in chromosome II and a 60-kp map near the centromere of chromosome I in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe which has three chromosomes. Integration of the cloned sequences into the chromosome and subsequent analyses of tetrads and dyads revealed an approximately 50 kb long domain located in the middle of the 210-kb map, tightly linked to the centromere and greatly reduced in meiotic recombination. This domain contained at least two classes of repetitive sequences. One, designated yn1, was specifically present in a particular chromosome and repeated three times in the 210-kb map of chromosome II. The other, designated dg, was located in all the centromere regions of three chromosomes. One (dgI) and two (dgIIa, dgIIb) copies of the dg were found in the maps of chromosomes I and II, respectively. The dgIIa and dgIIb were arranged with a 20-kb interval within the repetitive domain. In the centric region of chromosome II, 3-4 copies of the dg appeared to exist. By determining the nucleotide sequences of dgI and dgIIa, the dg was identified to be 3.8 kb long. The sequence homology was 99% between dgI and dgIIa. These extraordinarily homologous sequences seemed not to be transcribed into RNA nor to be encoding any protein. The larger part of the dg sequence was internally non-repetitious, a 600-bp region existed which consisted of stretches of several short repeating units. The structures in or surrounding the centromeres of S. pombe appear to be much more complex than those of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.     

Identification of wheat-barley translocations by sequential GISH and two-colour FISH in combination with the use of genetically mapped barley SSR markers.

Five wheat-barley translocations in a wheat background were characterized through the combination of cytogenetic and molecular genetic approaches. The wheat chromosome segments involved in the translocations were identified using sequential GISH and two-colour FISH with the probes pSc119.2 and pAs1. The barley chromatin in these lines was identified using SSR markers. A total of 45 markers distributed over the total barley genome were selected from a recently published linkage map of barley and tested on the translocation lines. The following translocations were identified: 2DS.2DL-1HS, 3HS.3BL, 6BS.6BL-4HL, 4D-5HS, and 7DL.7DS-5HS. Wheat-barley disomic and ditelosomic addition lines for the chromosomes 3HS, 4H, 4HL, 5H, 5HL, and 6HS were used to determine the correct location of 21 markers and the position of the centromere. An intragenomic translocation breakpoint was detected on the short arm of the barley chromosome 5H with the help of SSR marker analysis. Physical mapping of the SSR markers on chromosomes 1H and 5H was carried out using the intragenomic and the interspecific translocation breakpoints, as well as the centromere, as physical landmarks.     

Cytogenetics for the model system Arabidopsis thaliana

A detailed karyotype of Arabidopsis thaliana is presented using meiotic pachytene cells in combination with fluorescence in situ hybridization. The lengths of the five pachytene bivalents varied between 50 and 80 μm, which is 20–25 times longer than mitotic metaphase chromosomes. The analysis confirms that the two longest chromosomes (1 and 5) are metacentric and the two shortest chromosomes (2 and 4) are acrocentric and carry NORs subterminally in their short arms, while chromosome 3 is submetacentric and medium sized. Detailed mapping of the centromere position further revealed that the length variation between the pachytene bivalents comes from the short arms. Individual chromosomes were unambiguously identified by their combinations of relative lengths, arm-ratios, presence of NOR knobs and FISH signals with a 5S rDNA probe and chromosome specific DNA probes. Polymorphisms were found among six ecotypes with respect to the number and map positions of 5S rDNA loci. All ecotypes contain 5S rDNA in the short arms of chromosomes 4 and 5. Three different patterns were observed regarding the presence and position of a 5S rDNA locus on chromosome 3. Repetitive DNA clones enabled us to subdivide the pericentromeric heterochromatin into a central domain, characterized by pAL1 and 106B repeats, which accommodate the functional centromere and two flanking domains, characterized by the 17 A20 repeat sequences. The upper flanking domains of chromosomes 4 and 5, and in some ecotypes also chromosome 3, contain a 5S rDNA locus. The detection of unique cosmids and YAC sequences demonstrates that detailed physical mapping of Arabidopsis chromosomes by cytogenetic techniques is feasible. Together with the presented karyotype this makes Arabidopsis a model system for detailed cytogenetic mapping.