The Synaptonemal Complex and the Achiasmatic Condition

1973 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. STACK

The onion species Allium amplectans includes both a triploid and a tetraploid variety. By light microscopy both varieties appear to have normal synapsis during pachytene of meiosis. However, the triploid does not form chiasmata and exhibits almost total asynapsis following pachytene. The tetraploid forms at least one chiasma per homologue and retains pairing through metaphase I. Electron-microscopic examination of pachytene nuclei in these 2 varieties reveals apparently identical synaptonemal complexes. Three-dimensional reconstructions of chromosome arrangements in triploid pachytene nuclei confirm that synapsis is as complete as could be expected in an autotriploid. These observations give firm support to the hypothesis that the presence of apparently structurally normal synaptonemal complexes is not a sufficient prerequisite to ensure chiasma formation. It is suggested that a faulty or missing endonuclease which is normally involved in crossing over is responsible for the achiasmatic condition in triploid A. amplectans.

Author(s):  
B.L. Giammara ◽  
H.W. Carter ◽  
E.S. Rappaport ◽  
P.E. Yates ◽  
T.A. Jarvis ◽  
...  

Apparent necrosis of leukemic leukocytes is very common, and an accompanying nuclear degeneration can be seen when blood or bone marrow preparations are examined by light microscopy. Nuclear degeneration is commonly indicated by pyknosis (condensation of chromatin), karyorrhexis, karyolysis, or chromatolysis. Granulocytes with negative nuclei (ghost cells, Fig. 1) and cytoplasmic vacuolization are also frequently observed in specimens of patients where nuclear degeneration is prominent. These events are especially apparent (Figs. 1 to 3) in blood or bone marrow preparations stained for light microscopy with a new procedure for the demonstration of granulocyte peroxidases. With this procedure, nuclear degeneration and cytoplasmic vacuolization were observed in granulocytes in thirty-three of forty-two leukemia patients while only four of thirty-four atopic disease patients displayed these phenomena. These changes appeared to be most prominent in some acute promyelocytic leukemia patients. Electron microscopic examination of cells of patients showing these phenomena was undertaken to investigate the mechanism of the degenerative processes.


1982 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 675-680 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weng Kong Sung ◽  
Georgiana Jagiello

A method is described for obtaining synaptonemal complex preparations from mouse pachytene oocytes for light and electron microscopic examination. A karyotype based on the whole complement of synaptonemal complexes of a pachytene oocyte as visualized by electron microscopy is presented.


Author(s):  
K. S. McCarty ◽  
R. F. Weave ◽  
L. Kemper ◽  
F. S. Vogel

During the prodromal stages of sporulation in the Basidiomycete, Agaricus bisporus, mitochondria accumulate in the basidial cells, zygotes, in the gill tissues prior to entry of these mitochondria, together with two haploid nuclei and cytoplasmic ribosomes, into the exospores. The mitochondria contain prominent loci of DNA [Fig. 1]. A modified Kleinschmidt spread technique1 has been used to evaluate the DNA strands from purified whole mitochondria released by osmotic shock, mitochondrial DNA purified on CsCl gradients [density = 1.698 gms/cc], and DNA purified on ethidium bromide CsCl gradients. The DNA appeared as linear strands up to 25 u in length and circular forms 2.2-5.2 u in circumference. In specimens prepared by osmotic shock, many strands of DNA are apparently attached to membrane fragments [Fig. 2]. When mitochondria were ruptured in hypotonic sucrose and then fixed in glutaraldehyde, the ribosomes were released for electron microscopic examination.


Author(s):  
Veronika Burmeister ◽  
N. Ludvig ◽  
P.C. Jobe

Electron microscopic immunocytochemistry provides an important tool to determine the ultrastructural distribution of various molecules in both normal and pathologic tissues. However, the specific immunostaining may be obscured by artifactual immunoreaction product, misleading the investigator. Previous observations show that shortening the incubation period with the primary antibody from the generally used 12-24 hours to 1 hour substantially reduces the artifactual immunostaining. We now extend this finding by the demonstration of artifact-free ultrastructural localization of the Ca2/calmodulindependent cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase (CaM-dependent PDE) immunoreactivity in brain.Anesthetized rats were perfused transcardially with phosphate-buffered saline followed by a fixative containing paraformaldehyde (4%) and glutaraldehyde (0.25%) in PBS. The brains were removed, and 40μm sections were cut with a vibratome. The sections were processed for immunocytochemistry as described by Ludvig et al. Both non-immune rabbit serum and specific CaM-dependent PDE antibodies were used. In both experiments incubations were at one hour and overnight. The immunostained sections were processed for electron microscopic examination.


1973 ◽  
Vol 19 (8) ◽  
pp. 887-894
Author(s):  
Linda Poffenroth ◽  
J. W. Costerton ◽  
Nonna Kordová ◽  
John C. Wilt

Electron microscopic examination of a semipurified Chlamydia psittaci 6BC strain attenuated in chick embryo yolk sac revealed for the first time two morphologically distinct small elementary bodies which differ both in the ultrastructure of their surface layers and in their buoyant densities in sucrose gradients. Also, the morphology of the surface layers of the larger reticulate forms in cell-free systems is described for the first time. Many points of difference between the surface envelopes and internal structure of chlamydial particles and those of Gram-negative bacteria are discussed.


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