Edible banana cultivars are diploid, triploid, or tetraploid hybrids, which originated by natural cross hybridization between subspecies of diploid Musa acuminata, or between M. acuminata and diploid Musa balbisiana. The participation of two other wild diploid species Musa schizocarpa and Musa textilis was also indicated by molecular studies. The fusion of gametes with structurally different chromosome sets may give rise to progenies with structural chromosome heterozygosity and reduced fertility due to aberrant chromosome pairing and unbalanced chromosome segregation. Only a few translocations have been classified on the genomic level so far, and a comprehensive molecular cytogenetic characterization of cultivars and species of the family Musaceae is still lacking. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with chromosome-arm-specific oligo painting probes was used for comparative karyotype analysis in a set of wild Musa species and edible banana clones. The results revealed large differences in chromosome structure, discriminating individual accessions. These results permitted the identification of putative progenitors of cultivated clones and clarified the genomic constitution and evolution of aneuploid banana clones, which seem to be common among the polyploid banana accessions. New insights into the chromosome organization and structural chromosome changes will be a valuable asset in breeding programs, particularly in the selection of appropriate parents for cross hybridization.

• MeSH
• Musa genetics   growth & development   MeSH
• Chromosomes, Plant genetics   MeSH
• Diploidy MeSH
• Karyotype MeSH
• Chromosome Painting methods   MeSH
• Evolution, Molecular MeSH
• Plant Breeding MeSH
• Tetraploidy MeSH
• Translocation, Genetic MeSH
• Triploidy MeSH
• Crops, Agricultural genetics   growth & development   MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Comparative Study MeSH

Centromeres in the legume genera Pisum and Lathyrus exhibit unique morphological characteristics, including extended primary constrictions and multiple separate domains of centromeric chromatin. These so-called metapolycentromeres resemble an intermediate form between monocentric and holocentric types, and therefore provide a great opportunity for studying the transitions between different types of centromere organizations. However, because of the exceedingly large and highly repetitive nature of metapolycentromeres, highly contiguous assemblies needed for these studies are lacking. Here, we report on the assembly and analysis of a 177.6 Mb region of pea (Pisum sativum) chromosome 6, including the 81.6 Mb centromere region (CEN6) and adjacent chromosome arms. Genes, DNA methylation profiles, and most of the repeats were uniformly distributed within the centromere, and their densities in CEN6 and chromosome arms were similar. The exception was an accumulation of satellite DNA in CEN6, where it formed multiple arrays up to 2 Mb in length. Centromeric chromatin, characterized by the presence of the CENH3 protein, was predominantly associated with arrays of three different satellite repeats; however, five other satellites present in CEN6 lacked CENH3. The presence of CENH3 chromatin was found to determine the spatial distribution of the respective satellites during the cell cycle. Finally, oligo-FISH painting experiments, performed using probes specifically designed to label the genomic regions corresponding to CEN6 in Pisum, Lathyrus, and Vicia species, revealed that metapolycentromeres evolved via the expansion of centromeric chromatin into neighboring chromosomal regions and the accumulation of novel satellite repeats. However, in some of these species, centromere evolution also involved chromosomal translocations and centromere repositioning.

• MeSH
• Centromere genetics   MeSH
• Chromatin genetics   MeSH
• Pisum sativum * genetics   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Chromosomes, Human, Pair 6 * MeSH
• DNA, Satellite genetics   MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH