title: A drop-spreading technique to produce cytoplasm-free mitotic preparations from plants with small chromosomes.
abstract: A preparation technique has been developed for plants with small chromosomes, which produces large numbers of good-quality mitotic preparations. The technique employs a hydrochloric acid treatment to hydrolyse the cytoplasm, facilitating the subsequent removal of cytoplasmic debris. The evaporative force of a methanol-based fixative is exploited to disperse the cytoplasm and to deposit the chromosomes in a single optical plane. This technique permits detailed observations of chromosome morphology and karyotyping. The mitotic preparations are also suitable for the complex analysis associated with in-situ hybridization, as in studies of genome interaction in plant hybrids.
authors.affiliation: The Ecology-Genetics Department, Faculty of Biology-Geology, University Babes-Bolyai, Cluj-Napoca Romania.
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Andras
authors.forename: T P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Hartman
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Marshall
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marchant
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Power
authors.forename: E C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Cocking
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Davey
mesh_terms: D002875:Chromosomes; D003593:Cytoplasm; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D007621:Karyotyping; D008938:Mitosis; D059828:Plant Cells; D010944:Plants / Q000235:genetics*