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Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science, Vol s3-104, 281-295, Copyright © 1963 by Company of Biologists

The Form of Bivalent Chromosomes in Newt Oocytes at First Metaphase of Meiosis

I. D. WATSON 1 and H. G. CALLAN 1

1 Department of Natural History, the University, St. Andrews, Fife

Lampbrush chromosomes in the ovarian oocytes of newts are associated as bivalents. Some connexions between lampbrush chromosomes are chiasmata; others are known to be fusions of gene products; yet others, namely reflected, centromere, and telomere fusions, do not appear to be due simply to the fusion of gene products. Whether chiasmata are involved in reflected, centromere, and telomere fusions cannot be decided from examination of the chromosomes at the lampbrush stage. Bivalents from oocytes at first meiotic metaphase were therefore studied. The oocytes of newts reach first meiotic metaphase after ovulation, whilst they are free in the coelome. Reflected, centromere, and the great majority of telomere fusions do not persist to first meiotic metaphase: thus chiasmata are not involved in them.

In oocyte bivalents of Triturus helveticus chiasmata are not restricted in their distribution, whereas in spermatocyte bivalents of this species chiasmata are proterminally localized. In oocyte bivalents of 3 subspecies of T. cristatus chiasmata are procentrically localized, whereas in spermatocyte bivalents of these subspecies chiasmata are not restricted in their distribution.

Thus in T. helveticus meiosis in the female sex is mainly responsible for genetic recombination, whereas in T. cristatus the situation is reversed. We conclude that to base genetical and evolutionary inferences on information drawn from the meiosis of one sex only is unjustified, and we doubt the validity of the claim that chiasma localization has arisen so as to restrict genetic recombination.






© The Company of Biologists Ltd 1963