Dicentric chromosomes and the inactivation of the centromere (original) (raw)
Summary
The origin and behavior of human dicentric chromosomes are reviewed. Most dicentrics between two non-homologous or two homologous chromosomes (isodicentrics), which are permanent members of a chromosome complement, probably originate from segregation of an adjacent quadriradial; such configurations are the result of a chromatid translocation between two nonhomologous chromosomes, or they represent an adjacent counterpart of a mitotic chiasma. The segregation of such a quadriradial may also give rise to a cell line monosomic for the chromosome concerned (e.g., a 45,X line). Contrary to the generally held opinion, isodicentrics rarely result from an isolocal break in two chromatids followed by rejoining of sister chromatids. In this case the daughter centromeres go to opposite poles in the next anaphase, and the resulting bridge breaks at a random point. This mechanism, therefore, leads to the formation of an isodicentric chromosome only if the two centromeres are close together, or if one centromere is immediately inactivated. Observations on the origin of dicentrics in Bloom syndrome support these conclusions. One centromere is permanently inactivated in most dicentric chromosomes, and even when the dicentric breaks into two chromosomes, the centromere is not reactivated. The appearance and behavior of the “acentric” X chromosomes show that their centromeres are similarly inactivated and not prematurely divided. Two Bloom syndrome lymphocytes, one with an extra chromosome 2 and the other with an extra chromosome 7, each having an inactivated centromere, show that this can also happen in monocentric autosomes.
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Authors and Affiliations
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Wisconsin, 53706, Madison, WI, USA
Eeva Therman - Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Health Sciences Center, University of New York at Stony Brook, 11794, Stony Brook, NY, USA
Carolyn Trunca - Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 53201, Milwaukee, WI, USA
Evelyn M. Kuhn & Gloria E. Sarto
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- Eeva Therman
You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar - Carolyn Trunca
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Therman, E., Trunca, C., Kuhn, E.M. et al. Dicentric chromosomes and the inactivation of the centromere.Hum Genet 72, 191–195 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00291876
- Received: 02 October 1985
- Issue Date: March 1986
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00291876