Cytogenetic Abnormalities in Seed Progenies of Pinus Pallasiana D. Don Stands from Technogenic Polluted Lands in the Steppe of Ukraine

In this study, we compare the pathological mitosis rates, chromosomal abnormalities and nucleolar organizer activity in Pinus pallasiana D. Don seedlings from natural population in the Crimean Mountains and from the urban plantations in the steppe of Ukraine. On the stages of anaphase and telophase of mitosis, such chromosomal abnormalities as bridges were most often found in the seeds of plantations exposed to air pollutants, whereas lead and agglutination of chromosomes were found in seeds from iron ore dump stands. Our studies have shown that P. pallasiana can be used for genotoxic monitoring of technogenic polluted lands.

C-banding and nucleolar activity of tetraploid Avena species

The Giemsa C-banding pattern of the chromosomes of five tetraploid species of Avena have been studied. The chromosomes of AABB species (A. barbata, A. vaviloviana, and A. abyssinica) had similar C-banding patterns to those of A genome species. AACC species (A. maroccana and A. murphyi) possessed two sets of seven chromosome pairs with C-banding patterns similar to those observed in the diploid A and C genome species. However, no good correspondence between either of these two chromosome groups and any one diploid species has been found. When the nucleolar organizer activity of the species was analysed by silver staining, fewer nucleoli and nucleolar organizer regions (NORs) were observed than expected, assuming complete additivity of those from the donor diploid species.Key words: C-banding, NOR, Avena, heterochromatin.

Nucleolar organizer activity at meiosis in wheat–rye hybrid plants

Nucleoli and nucleolar organizer regions (NORs) have been studied by a silver staining method in all meiotic stages of wheat–rye hybrid plants. The maximum number of nucleoli per cell scored at meiotic prophase and tapetum binucleate cells indicates that only the NORs of 1B, 6B, and 5D wheat chromosomes are active, whereas that of chromosome IR (SAT) of rye is inactive. However, at diakinesis, metaphase and anaphase meiotic stages only chromosomes 1B and 6B show Ag-NOR as was reported previously in somatic metaphase. The absence of Ag-NOR on chromosome 5D has been imputed to its low nucleolar organizer activity, not detectable by silver staining, because of the small number of rDNA clusters it carries. On the other hand, the meiotic behaviour of chromosomes 1B and 6B has been studied at metaphase I and anaphase I, using the Ag-NORs as cytological markers.Key words: nucleolar organizer, Ag-NOR, meiosis, wheat–rye hybrids.

Nucleolar organizer competition in Aegilops–rye hybrids

The nucleolar organizer activity in several Aegilops × rye hybrids (A. triuncialis × Secale cereale, A. variabilis × S. cereale, A. biunicialis × S. cereale, A. biuncialis × S. vavilovii, A. juvenalis × S. cereale) is analyzed by using a highly reproducible silver-staining procedure. The 1U and 5U chromosomes show a strong nucleolar activity, suppressing the NOR activity of chromosome 1R from rye in all the hybrid combinations (UCR, USvR, UMbR, UMbRv, and UMjDR). The nucleolus organizer chromosomes from the genomes C, Sv, Mb, and Mj show small activities. Our results confirm previous data of the nucleolar organizer activity predominant status of the 1U and 5U chromosomes from the U genome (A. umbellulata) and the weakest condition of the 1R chromosome from rye. A diagram showing the relationships between the nucleolar organizer activities of chromosomes from different genomes of Triticeae is presented.Key words: nucleolar competition, amphiplasty, Ag-NORs, Triticeae, Aegilops, Secale.