Summary
-
1.
Ribonucleic acid synthesis was studied in the autosomes and sex chromosomes during male meiosis in the mouse using uridine-H3 labeling and autoradiography.
-
2.
In the autosomes, the incorporation of uridine-H3 into RNA ceased or fell to an insignificant level during early meiotic prophase until early pachytene. After these stages, the rate of incorporation increased rapidly to a maximum in middle pachytene, but declined again progressively during late pachytene, diplotene and diakinesis, as chromosome coiling progresses, and stopped completely during metaphase and anaphase. Secondary spermatocytes were very little labeled during the short resting stage and completely unlabeled during metaphase and anaphase.
-
3.
In contrast to the autosomes, the heteropycnotic XY bivalent was invariably unlabeled throughout the meiotic cycle.
-
4.
A working hypothesis is forwarded to account for the absence or scarcity of RNA synthesis during early meiotic prophase.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Bibliography
Barr, M. L., and D. H. Carr: Sex chromatin, sex chromosomes and sex anomalies. Canad. med. Ass. J. 83, 979–986 (1960).
Beermann, W.: Cytological aspects of information transfer in cellular differentiation. Amer. Zoologist 3, 23–32 (1963).
Beutler, E., M. Yeh, and V. F. Fairbanks: The normal human female as a mosaic of X chromosome activity: studies using the gene for G-6-PD-deficiency as a marker. Proc. nat. Acad. Sci. (Wash.) 48, 9–16 (1962).
Callan, H. G., and L. Lloyd: Lampbrush chromosomes of crested newts Triturus cristatus (Laurentii). Phil. Trans. B 243, 135–219 (1960).
Das, N. K. Chromosomal and nucleolar RNA synthesis in root tips during mitosis. Science 140, 1231–1233 (1963).
Davidson, E. H., V. G. Allfrey, and A. E. Mirsky: On the RNA synthesized during the lampbrush phase of amphibian oögenesis. Proc. nat. Acad. Sci. (Wash.) 52, 501–508 (1964).
Feinendegen, L. E., and V. P. Bond: Observations on nuclear RNA during mitosis in human cancer cells in culture (HeLa-S3), studied with tritiated cytidine. Exp. Cell Res. 30, 393–404 (1963).
Frenster, J. H., V. G. Allfrey, and A. E. Mirsky: Repressed and active chromatin isolated from interphase lymphocytes. Proc. nat. Acad. Sci. (Wash.) 50, 1026–1032 (1963).
Gall, J. G.: Kinetics of deoxyribonuclease action on chromosomes. Nature (Lond.) 198, 36–38 (1963).
— and H. G. Callan: H3-Uridine incorporation in lampbrush chromosomes. Proc. nat. Acad. Sci. (Wash.) 48, 562–570 (1962).
Geyer-Duszyńska, I.: On the structure of the XY bivalent in Mus musculus L. Chromosoma (Berl.) 13, 521–525 (1963).
Henderson, S. A.: RNA synthesis during male meiosis and spermiogenesis. Chromosoma (Berl.) 15, 345–366 (1964).
Hotta, Y., and H. Stern: Synthesis of messenger-like ribonucleic acid and protein during meiosis in isolated cells of Trillium erectum. J. Cell Biol. 19, 45–58 (1963).
Hsu, T. C.: Differential rate in RNA synthesis between euchromatin and heterochromatin. Exp. Cell Res. 27, 332–334 (1962).
Izawa, M., V. G. Allfrey, and A. E. Mirsky: The relationship between RNA synthesis and loop structure in lampbrush chromosomes. Proc. nat. Acad. Sci. (Wash.) 49, 544–551 (1963).
Konrad, C. G.: Protein synthesis and RNA synthesis during mitosis in animal cells. J. Cell Biol. 19, 267–277 (1963).
Littau, V. C., V. G. Allfrey, J. H. Frenster, and A. E. Mirsky: Active and inactive regions of nuclear chromatin as revealed by electron microscope autoradiography. Proc. nat. Acad. Sci. (Wash.) 52, 93–100 (1964).
Lyon, M. F. Gene action in the X-chromosome of the mouse (Mus musculus L.). Nature (Lond.) 190, 372–373 (1961); - Sex chromatin and gene action in the mammalian X-chromosome. Amer. J. hum. Genet. 14, 135–148 (1962).
Macgregor, H. C., and H. G. Callan: The action of enzymes on lampbrush chromosomes. Quart. J. micr. Sci. 103, 173–204 (1962).
Matthey, R.: Les chromosomes des Muridae. Rev. suisse Zool. 60, 225–283 (1953).
Monesi, V.: Autoradiographic study of DNA synthesis and the cell cycle in spermatogonia and spermatocytes of mouse testis using tritiated thymidine. J. Cell Biol. 14, 1–18 (1962); - Il metabolismo dell'acido ribonucleico durante lo sviluppo delle cellule germinali maschili e nelle cellule del Sertoli, nel topo adulto. Arch. ital. Anat. Embriol. 69, 89–118 (1964a); - Ribonucleic acid synthesis during mitosis and meiosis in the mouse testis. J. Cell Biol. 22, 521–532 (1964b).
—, and M. Crippa: Ribonucleic acid transfer from nucleus to cytoplasm during interphase and mitosis in mouse somatic cells cultured in vitro. Z. Zellforsch. 62, 807–821 (1964).
Moses, M. J.: Patterns of organization in the fine structure of chromosomes. In: Proceedings of the Fourth Internat. Congr. of Electron Microscopy, vol. II, p. 199, (eds.) W. Bargmann et al. Berlin-Göttingen-Heidelberg: Springer 1960; - Extended comments on the paper by scJ. H. Taylor. In: Radiation Induced Chromosome Aberrations, p. 155, ed. scS. Wolff. New York: Columbia University Press 1963; - The nucleus and chromosomes: a cytological perspective. In: Cytology and Cell Physiology, p. 424, ed. scG. H. Bourne. New York: Academic Press 1964.
Muckenthaler, F. A.: Autoradiographic study of nucleic acid synthesis during spermatogenesis in the grasshopper, Melanoplus differentialis. Exp. Cell Res. 35, 531–547 (1964).
Oakberg, E. F.: Duration of spermatogenesis in the mouse and timing of stages of the cycle of the seminiferous epithelium. Amer. J. Anat. 99, 507–516 (1956).
Ohno, S., W. D. Kaplan, and R. Kinosita: On the end-to-end association of the X and Y chromosomes of Mus musculus. Exp. Cell Res. 18, 282–290 (1959).
-, and S. Makino: The single-X nature of the sex chromatin in man. Lancet 1961 I, 78–79.
Prescott, D.M., and M. A. Bender: Synthesis of RNA and protein during mitosis in mammalian tissue culture cells. Exp. Cell Res. 26, 260–268 (1962); - Synthesis and behaviour of nuclear proteins during the cell life cycle. J. cell. comp. Physiol. 62, Suppl. I, 175–194 (1963).
Ris, H.: The structure of meiotic chromosomes in the grasshopper and its bearing on the nature of “chromomeres” and “lamp-brush chromosomes”. Biol. Bull. 89, 242–257 (1945).
Russell, L. B.: Genetics of mammalian sex chromosomes. Science 133, 1795–1803 (1961).
Sotelo, J. R., and O. Trujillo-Cenóz: Electron microscope study on spermatogenesis. Chromosome morphogenesis at the onset of meiosis (cyte I) and nuclear structure of early and late spermatids. Z. Zellforsch. 51, 243–277 (1960).
Taylor, J. H.: Incorporation of phosphorus-32 into nucleic acid and proteins during microgametogenesis of Tulbaghia. Amer. J. Bot. 45, 123–131 (1958); - Autoradiographic studies of nucleic acids and proteins during meiosis in Lilium longiflorum. Amer. J. Bot. 46, 477–484 (1959); - Nucleic acid synthesis in relation to the cell division cycle. Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 90, 409–421 (1960).
Welshons, W. J., B. H. Gibson, and B. J. Scandlyn: Slide processing for the examination of male mammalian meiotic chromosomes. Stain Technol. 37, 1–5 (1962).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Monesi, V. Differential rate of ribonucleic acid synthesis in the autosomes and sex chromosomes during male meiosis in the mouse. Chromosoma 17, 11–21 (1965). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00285153
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00285153