Hereditas 

About: Hereditas is an academic journal. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Population & Gene. Over the lifetime, 6561 publications have been published receiving 116410 citations. The journal is also known as: Hereditas..

Nomenclature for centromeric position on chromosomes

Abstract: N the inorphologic identification of chromosomes, the location of the I centromere is the most useful landmark, and one which is characterized by great constancy. It would seem that not much could be added to the definitions by E. B. WILSON (1928) of the locations on the chromosome of the centrornere or, in the terminology of that time, the spindle attachment: “Attachment of the chromosome to the spindle is commonly limited to a small area, and is of two general types, namely: (1) terminnl or telomitic and (2) non-ferminal or atelomitic, being in the former case at one end, and in the latter at some other point or points. Non-terminal attachment may be at the middle point (median) or at an intermediate point (submedian, sub-terminal). All gradations exist between these various cases;” (I.c., p. 130-131). In the acconipanying picture (l.c., Fig. 56, p. 132), here reprinted as Fig. l., the four locations of median, submedian, subterminal and terminal are represented, and, in addition, “lateral”, which corresponds to the modern term “diffuse centromere”. Nevertheless, at the present time, with the immense increase in research activity in mammalian cytology, the terminology of the centromeric position has become burdened by much obscurity and confusion. One cause of confusion is that different authors, and even the same author on different occasions, have used the terms median, submedian etc. with great amplitude, and it is often difficult to know in a specific case what each term signifies. Another cause of confusion is that a set of terms for chromosomes with specific centromeric positions, such as metacentric, acrocentric, telocentric, have come into wide usage without being clearly defined in relation to the positional terms median, submedian, subterminal and terminal. During the spring of 1963 the present writers exchanged epistolary

Serial analysis of gene expression

Abstract: Serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) is recently developed, a sequenced-based technique, which permits comprehensive and quantitative gene expression profiles from specific tissues or cells. SAGE has been successfully applied for transcriptome research and identification of differentially expressed genes between mRNA populations. This article mainly reviews the principle,development and application of SAGE.

The Allium test as a standard in environmental monitoring

Abstract: The Allium test is suggested as a standard in environmental monitoring, e. g. as a part of a test battery. Background, the method including suggested parameters for standard use, results from various application areas and comparisons with a number of other test systems are presented. The Allium test is a short-term test with many advantages: low cost, ease to handle, good chromosome conditions for the study of chromosome damage or disturbance of cell division including the evaluation of risks of aneuploidy. The ability of the root cells to activate promutagens (the MFO-system) further widens the application areas of the Allium test. The use of series of onions for each concentration of the test chemical allows statistical considerations, and from growth curves Effect-Concentration values are obtained. The Allium test is, lastly, a sensitive test showing good correlation to other test systems. Thus, positive results in the Allium test should be considered as a warning and also an indication that the tested chemical may be a risk to human health and to our environment.

The chromosome number of man

Abstract: While staying last summer at the Sloan-Kettering Institute, New York, one of us tried out some modifications of Hsu’s technique (1952) on various human tissue cultures carried in serial in vitro cultivation at that institute. The results were promising inasmuch as some fairly satisfactory chromosome analyses were obtained in cultures both of tissues of normal origin and of tumours (Levan, 1956).