title: Polymorphism of heterochromatic regions of flax chromosomes.
abstract: The C-banding technique was used to study flax chromosomes (Linum usitatissimum L., 2n = 30). Heterochromatin was located mainly in pericentromeric regions of chromosomes. In spite of small size (1.5-3.5 microm), all 15 pairs of homologous chromosomes were identified on the basis of the C-banding pattern and morphology. An idiogram of C-banded chromosomes of L usitatissimum L. is presented. Polymorphism of chromosomal heterochromatic regions was studied in karyotypes of three flax samples: L usitatissimum L., accession K-603 (L usitatissimum var. usitatissimum), and accession K-594 (L. usitatissimum var. humile (Mill.)). A common C-banding pattern was observed in all forms studied, although there were some distinctions in the individual band size. The fibre flax (accession K-603) karyotype had the C-banding pattern similar to that of L usitatissimum L., but some intercalary and telomeric C-bands were somewhat larger, and a satellite (NOR) was observed in the short arm of chromosome I. In crown flax, (K-594) chromosomal C-banding pattern exhibited smaller pericentromeric and larger intercalary bands; telomeric bands were present on almost all chromosomes. Thus, the intraspecies polymorphism revealed in the chromosomal C-banding pattern makes possible the use of C-bands as chromosome markers in the studies of genetic and genomic polymorphism of this species.
authors.affiliation: Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow. chrom@genome.eimb.relarn.ru
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Muravenko
authors.forename: T E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Samatadze
authors.forename: K V
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: Popov
authors.forename: A V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Amosova
authors.forename: A V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Zelenin
mesh_terms: D002871:Chromosome Banding; D002875:Chromosomes; D019597:Flax / Q000235:genetics*; D006570:Heterochromatin / Q000235:genetics*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic
chemical_list: D006570:Heterochromatin