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Correlation between centromere and chromosome length in human male pronuclear chromosomes: ultrastructural analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2000

M. Rosa Martorell
Affiliation:
Unitat Biologia, Facultat de Medicina, Department de Bio-logia Cellular, Fisiologia i Immunologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain.
Jordi Benet
Affiliation:
Unitat Biologia, Facultat de Medicina, Department de Bio-logia Cellular, Fisiologia i Immunologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain.
Carmen Márquez
Affiliation:
Unitat Biologia, Facultat de Medicina, Department de Bio-logia Cellular, Fisiologia i Immunologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain.
Josep Egozcue
Affiliation:
Unitat Biologia Cellular, Facultat de Ciències, Departament de Biologia Cellular, Fisiologia i Immunologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain.
Joaquima Navarro
Affiliation:
Unitat Biologia, Facultat de Medicina, Department de Bio-logia Cellular, Fisiologia i Immunologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain.

Abstract

Ultrastructural and morphometric analyses of centromeric regions by scanning and transmission electron microscopy have been performed in chromosomes from male pronuclei obtained by heterologous fertilisation of hamster oocytes with human spermatozoa. In 1308 of 1323 chromosomes analysed, the primary constriction showed a defined biconcave constriction of variable length (0.56–1.34 μm) and constant width (0.64–0.7 μm). A positive correlation was observed between centromeric length and chromosome length. In some chromosomes, the primary constriction appears as decondensed regions of variable length (1.6–2.51 μm) composed of chromatin fibres with a minimum diameter of 30 nm.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2000 Cambridge University Press

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