Abstract
The peripheral location of H3-thymidine labelled chromosomes in spreads of colcemid blocked metaphases from human fibroblasts has been investigated in several karyotypes. Chromosomes show non-random distribution in relation to the periphery of the plate. Longer chromosomes are significantly more peripheral than smaller chromosomes. Those chromosomes which contain large amounts of late-synthesising DNA (Y, 18 and 13) are significantly more peripheral than early synthesising chromosomes of similar length (21–22, 19–20 and 14–15). These locations are compared with those from peripheral leucocytes obtained by other workers. When location and grain number of homologues of nos. 1, 2, 3, 16 and late-X are compared it was found that in late-S labelled cells, the more peripheral of each pair was significantly more heavily labelled; in early-S labelled cells the reverse was the case. Location and patterns of labelling between late-X homologues of XXXXY cells showed that peripheral location was related to more delay in DNA synthesis. These results are discussed in terms of peripheral and central interphase distribution of condensed chromatin. It is concluded that the apparent asynchrony of replication of homologues is principally the result of different degrees of condensation of the chromatin in the late-S phase at the time of synthesis, and these differences are related to the proximity to the nuclear membrane.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Barton, D. E., F. N. David, and M. Merrington: The relative positions of the chromosomes in the human cell in mitosis. Ann. hum. Genet. 29, 139–146 (1965).
Blondel, B.: Relations entre la morphologie cellulaire et l'ultrastructure du noyau chez des cellules en culture. C. R. Acad. Sci. (Paris) 264, 1176–1178 (1967).
—: Relation between nuclear fine structure and 3H-thymidine incorporation in a synchronous cell culture. Exp. Cell Res. 53, 348–356 (1968).
Froland, A.: Internal asynchrony in late replicating X chromosomes. Nature (Lond.) 213, 512–513 (1967).
—, and M. Mikkelsen: Studies on satellite associations in human cells. Hereditas (Lund) 52, 248 (1964).
German, J.: Identification and characterization of human chromosomes by DNA replication sequence. In: Cytogenetics of cells in culture (R. J. C. Harris, ed.), pp. 191–207. New York and London: Academic Press Inc. 1964.
Gilbert, C. W., L. G. Lajtha, S. Muldal, and C. H. Ockey: Synchrony of chromosome duplication. Nature (Lond.) 209, 537–538 (1966).
Harnden, D. G.: Recent advances in human genetics (L. S. Penrose, ed.), p. 32. London: J. and A. Churchill 1961.
Miller, O. J., W. R. Breg, B. B. Mukherjee, A. van N. Gamble, and A. C. Christakos: Non random distribution of chromosomes in metaphase figures from cultured human leucocytes. II. The peripheral location of chromosomes 13, 17–18 and 21. Cytogenetics 2, 152–167 (1963).
—, B. B. Mukherjee, W. R. Breg, and A. van N. Gamble: Non random distribution of chromosomes in metaphase figures from cultured human leucocytes. I. The peripheral location of the Y chromosome. Cytogenetics 2, 1–14 (1963).
Milner, G. R.: Changes in chromatin structure during interphase in human normoblasts. Nature (Lond.) 221, 71–72 (1969).
Ockey, C. H.: The behaviour of sex chromatin (heterochromatin) from DNA labelling experiments, p. 98–105. In: W. W. Park, ed., The early conceptus, normal and abnormal. Dundee: D. C. Thompson and Co. Ltd. 1965.
—: Behaviour of sex chromatin X and the heterochromatin in the human female. In: Chromosomes today, vol. 1, p. 226–232 (C. D. Darlington and K. R. Lewis, eds.). New York: Plenum Press 1966.
- Human chromosome identification and the pattern of DNA replication in fibroblasts from an XXY male. — A quantitative autoradiographic study of early and late synthesis. Cytogenetics (in press) (1969).
—, J. Wennström, and A. de la Chapelle: Isochromosome-X in man II. Hereditas (Lund) 54, 277–292 (1966).
Priest, J.: The replication of human heterochromatin in serial culture. Chromosoma (Berl.) 24, 438–455 (1968).
Prokofieva-Belgovskaya, A. A., V. M. Gindilis, K. N. Grinberg, E. A. Bogomasov, 0. A. Podugolnikova, I. I. Isaeva, S. I. Radjabli, S. Ph. Cellarius, and I. V. Veschneva: Association of acrocentric chromosomes in relation to cell type and age of individuals. Exp. Cell Res. 49, 612–625 (1968).
Ricci, N., B. Dallapiciola, B. Ventimiglia, L. Tiepolo, and M. Fraccaro: 48, XXXX/ 49, XXXXX mosaic: asynchronies among the late-replicating X chromosomes. Cytogenetics 7, 249–259 (1968).
Sandberg, A. A., N. Takagi, M. L. Schmidt, and I. D. J. Bross: Chronology and pattern of human chromosome replication IX Metasynchronous DNA replication in homologues. Cytogenetics 7, 298–332 (1968).
Schmid, W.: Heterochromatin in mammals. Arch. Klaus-Stift. Vererb.-Forsch. 52, 1–60 (1967).
Tokuyasu, K., S. C. Madden, and L. J. Zeldis: Fine structural alterations of interphase nuclei of lymphocytes stimulated to growth activity in vitro. J. Cell Biol. 39, 630–660 (1968).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ockey, C.H. The position of chromosomes at metaphase in human fibroblasts and their DNA synthesis behaviour. Chromosoma 27, 308–320 (1969). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00326167
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00326167