The causal sequence of meiosis
• . i . • pro6eeds"., and where crossing-over takes place. These prime wriables ..at6 ghe.eontaet-point, the th~e-lhnit of pairing and. the torsion in paired regions. Their action has been inferred from the comparison of pairing in ~dated forms witt{ variabie pairmg frequencies and ohiasma distribution ; from ~he pa.h-ing in hybrids, mutants and po]yploids; and h'om the ~ifieiaI !n}errnption of normal pairing. Suc]a comparisons have to be m~de ~vifla even ~ea te r accuracy and detgii if gee theory of meiotic p~mng.as to be ~ested and consolidated. The time has now arrived for an exac$ definitio~ of the individual aoti.ons and of the interactions of the t~{'egva.riables and of {Heir effect onohiasma formatim.~. k it}~iJ.y of pagfing variM;ion rest~Ith~g from genetic aad :from en~dr0nmental Souzces, i o an interspeeitie eo.mparison wibh varied environmental eoi~Ntigns,i.forms ~ahe most promising approach. ~,r,gt~igcvria., which h.a,s proved such Useful material in the discovery of ~he ele.me~lts o:[ mitosis and . . . . meiosis, is eminent.]y st~ita, ble :for further ana.].gsis} :[or the following rea.soJ.is:
Diverse retrotransposon families and an AT-rich satellite DNA revealed in giant genomes of Fritillaria lilies.
BACKGROUND AND AIMS
The genus Fritillaria (Liliaceae) comprises species with extremely large genomes (1C = 30 000-127 000 Mb) and a bicontinental distribution. Most North American species (subgenus Liliorhiza) differ from Eurasian Fritillaria species by their distinct phylogenetic position and increased amounts of heterochromatin. This study examined the contribution of major repetitive elements to the genome obesity found in Fritillaria and identified repeats contributing to the heterochromatin arrays in Liliorhiza species.


METHODS
Two Fritillaria species of similar genome size were selected for detailed analysis, one from each phylogeographical clade: F. affinis (1C = 45·6 pg, North America) and F. imperialis (1C = 43·0 pg, Eurasia). Fosmid libraries were constructed from their genomic DNAs and used for identification, sequence characterization, quantification and chromosome localization of clones containing highly repeated sequences.


KEY RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS
Repeats corresponding to 6·7 and 4·7 % of the F. affinis and F. imperialis genome, respectively, were identified. Chromoviruses and the Tat lineage of Ty3/gypsy group long terminal repeat retrotransposons were identified as the predominant components of the highly repeated fractions in the F. affinis and F. imperialis genomes, respectively. In addition, a heterogeneous, extremely AT-rich satellite repeat was isolated from F. affinis. The FriSAT1 repeat localized in heterochromatic bands makes up approx. 26 % of the F. affinis genome and substantial genomic fractions in several other Liliorhiza species. However, no evidence of a relationship between heterochromatin content and genome size variation was observed. Also, this study was unable to reveal any predominant repeats which tracked the increasing/decreasing trends of genome size evolution in Fritillaria. Instead, the giant Fritillaria genomes seem to be composed of many diversified families of transposable elements. We hypothesize that the genome obesity may be partly determined by the failure of removal mechanisms to counterbalance effectively the retrotransposon amplification.
The Origin and Behaviour of Chiasmata. XII
1. The chromosome complement of Eremurus spectabilis consists of 7 pairs of chromosomes, five of which are Jong and two short.2. Somatic pairing occurs in the root-tip divisions and is more frequent among the short chromosomes.3. There is no direct proportionality between chiasma frequency and length.4. The rate of terminalisation is greater in the skort bivalents than in the long.5. The nucleolus is still attached to the end of one of the long bivalents at diplotene, generally only by one arm. The connection is often drawn out into a fine thread, suggesting the presence of a surface charge an the nucleolus similar to that an the chromosomes. The terminalisation of the attached bivalent is reduced, possibly owing to the proximity of the nucleolus.6. True and false interlocking was found at the three stages examined, and one Gase of double interlocking, a configuration only possible if crossing-over had occurred.