BACKGROUND AND AIMS The red algae are an evolutionarily ancient group of predominantly marine organisms with an estimated 6000 species. Consensus higher-level molecular phylogenies support a basal split between the unicellular Cyanidiophytina and morphologically diverse Rhodophytina, the later subphylum containing most red algal species. The Rhodophytina is divided into six classes, of which fi...

THIS STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO ANSWER THE QUESTION: Is H(3)-thymidine uptake by nuclei of the mouse seminal vesicle evidence for DNA synthesis and mitosis, or does it signify some "metabolic" function of DNA unrelated to chromosome duplication? Mice were given an intraperitoneal injection of H(3)-thymidine. Six hours later Feulgen squashes of the seminal vesicle epithelium were made and covered wit...

Polyploidization and subsequent changes in genome size are fundamental processes in evolution and diversification. Little is currently known about the extent of genome size variation within taxa and the evolutionary forces acting on this variation. Arabidopsis kamchatica has been reported to contain both diploid and tetraploid individuals. The aim of this study was to determine the genome size ...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Species' 2C-values (mass of DNA in G(1) phase 2n nuclei) vary by at least four orders of magnitude among seed plants. The 2C-value has been shown to be co-ordinated with a number of other species traits, and with environmental variables. A prediction that species 2C-values are negatively related to leaf life span (LL) and leaf mass per area (LMA) is tested. These leaf traits...

In Bromeliaceae, cytogenetic and flow cytometry analyses have been performed to clarify systematic and evolutionary aspects. Karyotyping approaches have shown the relatively high chromosome number, similar morphology and small size of the chromosomes. These facts have prevented a correct chromosome counting and characterization. Authors have established a basic chromosome number of x = 25 for B...

Polypeptide 2C is essential for picornavirus replication. Although many data on multiple functions of this highly conserved protein are available, the mechanism of RNA binding is still obscure. In this work, protein 2C of echovirus-9 strain Barty was expressed as a histidine-tagged protein in E. coli followed by nondenaturing purification to homogeneity. After incubation of 2C protein with diff...

Nuclear DNA content and genomic distributions of 5S and 45S rDNA were examined in nineteen diploid accessions of the genus Musa representing its four sections Eumusa, Rhodochlamys, Callimusa and Australimusa, and in Ensete gilletii, which was the outgroup in this study. In the Eumusa (x = 11), 2C DNA content ranged from 1.130 to 1.377 pg, M. balbisiana having the lowest DNA content of all secti...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Brown algae are critical components of marine ecosystems around the world. However, the genome of only one species of the class has so far been sequenced. This contrasts with numerous sequences available for model organisms such as higher plants, flies or worms. The present communication expands our coverage of DNA content information to 98 species of brown algae with a view...