Unfurling an improved method for visualizing mitotic chromosomes in ferns
Unfurling an improved method for visualizing mitotic chromosomes in ferns
Authors
Ramirez Castillo, Rosa
Palma Rojas, Claudio
Seguel, Pedro Jara
Grusz, Amanda L.
Araya Jaime, Cristian
Palma Rojas, Claudio
Seguel, Pedro Jara
Grusz, Amanda L.
Araya Jaime, Cristian
Profesor GuĆa
Authors
Date
Datos de publicaciĆ³n:
10.1002/aps3.11588
APPLICATIONS IN PLANT SCIENCES,Vol.12,2024
APPLICATIONS IN PLANT SCIENCES,Vol.12,2024
Tipo de recurso
Article
Keywords
Materia geogrƔfica
Collections
Abstract
Premise: Cytotaxonomy employs chromosome visualization to study organismal relationships and evolution. Despite the critical value of cytogenetic data, cytotypes are lacking for many plant groups. Here, we present an improved approach for visualizing mitotic chromosomes in ferns, a key lineage of land plants, using the dividing cells of unfurling croziers (fiddleheads). Methods and Results: Our modified mitotic chromosome preparation incorporates a brief pectinase-cellulase pretreatment, as well as colchicine fixation and the Feulgen reaction to improve the staining and separation of mitotic chromosomes. To demonstrate this easy and efficient assessment, we determined the sporophytic (2n) chromosome number for three fern species: Cheilanthes mollis (2n = 60), Cheilanthes hypoleuca (2n = 120), and Nephrolepis cordifolia (2n = 82). Conclusions: The new method presented here improves visualizations of mitotic chromosomes from the dividing nuclei of young fern croziers. Fiddleheads are widely accessible in nature and in living collections worldwide, and this modified approach increases their suitability for fern cytotaxonomic studies.