Differential DNA synthesis in heterochromatic and euchromatic chromosome sets of Planococcus citri

DNA synthesis and endomitoses in the giant nuclei of the silkgland of Bombyx mori

At the first symptoms of organisation of the silkgland in the embryo, mitoses stop and nuclei start to grow. Through autoradiographic studies, performed after sequenced labeling with [3H] and [14C] thymidine, the durations of the different phases of DNA synthesis cycles (T = 42 to 48 h, S = 22 to 25 h, G = 20 to 23 h) are established. These durations are in fact identical during the second and the third instar, and the same, whatever region is concerned : posterior, middle or anterior parts. A model has been established to account for the distribution of the S phases during the second and third instars. The DNA synthesis in all nuclei of a given region has been followed during the first four instars by labelling with [3H]thymidine. The activity goes through maxima and minima, depending on the percent of nuclei synthesizing DNA and their synchronism, both being characteristic of each region; long resting periods are observed during the molting stages of the first three instars in the middle and the anterior parts. The coincidence is obvious between the maxima and minima and respectively the S and G phases of the model. DNA assays agree with the distribution of cycles established by autoradiography if one admits that each cycle does lead to a doubling of the amount of DNA. The overall DNA synthesis from the diploid value is estimated to correspond to 18-19 endomitoic cycles in the nucleic of the posterior part, 19-20 cycles of those of the middle part and 13 in those of the anterior part. The analysis of chromosome structures, by squashing the nuclear content, shows that existence of a complete endomitotic cycle: the doubling of chromosomes is associated with condensed structures, alternating with a decondensed state of chromatin, responsible for the DNA synthesis. The female heterochromatin undergoes a restricted morphological cycle delayed with respect to bulk chromatin. It is characterized by a late DNA duplication and by non dispersed daughter chromosomes. Some of these aspects are, to a lesser extent, reproduced in groups of autosomic chromosomes.

Origin of mono- and binucleate cells with heterochromatic chromosomes in the malpighian tubules of the european elm scale, Gossyparia spuria (Coccoidea: Homoptera)

Males of the European elm scale, Gossyparia spuria (Erioccoccidae) have two Malphigian tubules, each made up of mononucleate and binucleate cells. Both types of cells may contain heterochromatic (H) chromosomes which form an H body. The cells with H bodies (H cells) usually appeared singly anywhere along the tubule. However, when two or more H cells were present they tended to be closer to each other than would be expected by chance. The possible origin of this tendency is discussed. Following squashing, the nuclei of the binucleate cells were much larger than those of most other somatic cells, suggesting that they were highly endopolyploid. However, the H bodies of the cells of the tubules were of about the same size as those of the other cells. These observations suggested that the H chromosomes of the binucleate cells did not replicate while the euchromatic chromosomes of these cells replicated several times. The great majority of the nuclei of the H cells contained a single H body per nucleus. An analysis of the number of H bodies in binucleate cells indicated that when two H bodies were present in the same nucleus they usually did not fuse. Thus, they were believed also not to fuse in the mononucleate cells. Since almost all the mononucleate H cells had only a single H body (rather than 2) it was concluded that they did not originate from binucleate cells by nuclear fusion.