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    Interchromosomal Connections and Metaphase 1 Clumping in Meiosis of Two Nigeria

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    Interchromosomal Connections and Metaphase 1 Clumping in Meiosis of Two Nigeria

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    Interchromosomal Connections and Metaphase 1 Clumping in Meiosis of Two Nigeria

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    African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 5 (22), pp.

    2066-2068, 16 November 2006


    Available online at http://www.academicjournals.org/AJB
    ISSN 1684–5315 © 2006 Academic Journals

    Short Communication

    Interchromosomal connections and metaphase 1


    clumping in meiosis of two Capsicum Linn. species in
    Nigeria
    FALUSI, O. A.
    Department of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State, Nigeria.
    Accepted 3 October, 2006

    The occurrence of interchromosomal connections in two species of Capsicum; Capsicum annuum L.


    and Capsicum frutescence L., from Nigeria is reported. Clumping of metaphase 1 chromosomes is
    also reported for these two species. The degrees of incidence of the interchromosomal connections
    and metaphase 1 chromosomes clumping have been determined. The probable relationship between
    the chromosomal connections and metaphase 1 clumping and the possibility of their being a useful
    ecological adaptation are discussed.

    Key words: Interchromosomal connections; Capsicum annuum L.; Capsicum frutescence; Metaphase 1
    chromosomes clumping and Ecological adaptation.

    INTRODUCTION

    Capsicum annuum and Capsicum frutescence are the number of workers (Myhra and Brogger, 1975; Viinikka
    two main species of pepper cultivated in Nigeria. They and Nokkala, 1981; Akpabio, 1990). Chromosomes dur-
    are grown in many areas in tracts located away from big ing cell division usually occur as separate entities but
    cities where their fruits are harvested and taken to the sometimes they occur as chromatin threads connecting
    market for sales. C. annuum has blue anthers, milky the individual chromosomes.
    white corollas, inconspicuous calyx lobing and one Often these interconnections are so thin that they
    peduncle per node whereas C. frutescence has blue cannot be picked with the light microscope (Akpabio,
    anthers, milky-greenish or yellowish white corollas and 1990). Myhra and Brogger (1975) observed that the
    two or more peduncles per node (Heiser, 1976). interconnections contain DNA. Generally, the occurrence
    These two species form an important ingredient in the or existence of these interconnections has been overlo-
    diet of Nigerians and the whole world for which the oked, thus their functions are not understood. This report
    pungency is the most important property of the fruits. C. is the first of the occurrence of interconnections in the
    frutescence has wide distribution as a wild weedy or genus Capsicum and the first report of its probable
    semi-domesticated plant in the tropics. These are extre- relationship with chromosome clumping.
    mely pungent peppers that are commonly called bird
    chilies. C. annuum on the other hand is said to be the
    most widely cultivated and economically important MATERIALS AND METHODS
    species of Capsicum and are commonly known as
    Four accessions of pepper (C. annuum L. and C. frutescens L)
    chilies, red or sweet peppers. They include the sweet and were investigated (Table 1). They were grouped into three varieties
    a wide range of pungent peppers (Purseglove, 1968; of C. annuum; grossum, abbreviatum and accuminatum, and one
    Heiser, 1976). variety of C. frutescens baccatum after Purseglove (1968). The
    Considerable variability exists within these species for plants were raised to maturity in plastic buckets and flower buds
    fruit and vegetative characters (Anand et al., 1987). The from them were harvested at the appropriate stage of pollen mother
    occurrence of interconnections between non-homologous cell development for meiotic studies. The flower buds were
    harvested between 9.30 a.m. and 10.00 a.m. and fixed in ethano-
    chromosomes in some stages of mitosis and meiosis in a acetic acid for twenty-four hours. For squash preparation, they were
    number of plants and animals has been reported by a rinsed in water and hydrolysed in 18% hydrochloric acid for 2 min.
    Falusi 2067

    Table 1. Description of the pepper (Capsicum spp) plants that were used in this study.

    Code number Source Local name Botanical name Description


    TA3 Ikare “Tatase” C. annuum var grossum L.. Small annual plant, medium size, bell-shaped fruits
    Ondo State Sendt. with mild taste one pedicel per node.
    RO2 Ilorin “Ata-rodo” C. annuum var abbreviatum Medium sized annual plant, small oblong and
    Kwara State Fingerh wrinkled fruits with hot taste one pedicel per node.
    SO1 Akure “Ata- C. annuum var accuminatum Medium sized annual plant, long pointed and
    Ondo State Sombo” Fingerh pendant fruits with hot taste one pedicel per node.
    WE1 Ado-Ekiti “Ata-wewe” C. frutescens L.var baccatum Large perennial shrub, small pointed fruit with very
    Ekiti State hot taste, 2-4 pedicels per node.

    Table 2. Frequencies of interchromosomal connections at diplonema and diakinesis, and clumped metaphase 1 in two species of Capsicum.

    Species Chromosome No. of % of cells with bivalents Number % of cells with bivalents % Clumping at
    Number cells linked in Diplonema of cells linked in Diakinesis Metaphase 1
    2 3 4 2 3 4
    TA3 2n=24 100 12.5 3.2 11.2 90 10.6 6.8 5.5 16.8
    RO2 2n=24 100 11.2 12.6 13.8 90 12.8 10.5 8.1 25.8
    SO1 2n=24 100 15.5 14.5 13.2 90 12.4 9.3 5.3 27.5
    WE1 2n=24 100 40.2 27.5 20.9 90 30.6 25.3 18.5 30.4

    lactophenol and pollen diameter was measured at x 400. Pollen


    grains that were deeply stained and that had spherical shape were
    considered viable.

    RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

    The percentage frequency of cells showing interconnec-


    tions and clumping is summarized in Table 2. Interconne-
    Figure 1. Chromosome interconnections at diplonema ctions were more visible at diplonema and diakinesis
    in C. frutescence. while clumping was more evident at metaphase 1 in the
    two species. At diplonema (Figures 1 and 2), many inter-
    connections between the heterochromatic regions could
    be seen. This was most intense in C. frutescence and
    least in C. annuum. There were fewer interconnections in
    diakinesis than at diplonema. The interconnections were
    usually terminal and between the three largest bivalents.
    Clumping at metaphase 1 was also a significant observa-
    tion (Plates 3 and 4). The clumping was most prevalent in
    C. frutescence than C. annuum.
    The occurrence of chromosome clumping has always
    been associated with sterility and degeneration (Falusi et
    al., 2005). But this was not so for C. annuum and C.
    Figure 2. Chromosome interconnections at diplonema frutescence in this study. The high percentage frequency
    in C. annuum. of occurrence of chromosome clumping had no adverse
    effect on pollen viability, which was high in the two spe-
    cies (Table 3). In later stages of division, clumping and
    The hydrolysed flower bud was rinsed in water and one anther at a interconnections were less evident. Thus there was no
    time was squashed in FLP orcein (Olorode, 1973). Photomicro- evidence of these events during the second meiotic
    graphs of suitable cells were taken for illustration. Records of
    number of cells with interconnections and the number of bivalents division.
    involved per cell at diplonema and diakinesis were also kept. Falusi (2003) observed that the meiotic elements of
    Pollen grain viability was estimated by staining in cotton blue-in- Capsicum species have a high tendency to cluster toget-
    2068 Afr. J. Biotechnol.

    Table 3. Pollen data in the plants studied.

    Plant Pollen number Pollen viability (%) Mean pollen size ± SD (µ


    µ) CV (%)
    TA3(2n=24) 960 71.2 26.8 ± 2.51 9.44
    RO2(2n=24) 753 68.3 26.2 ± 2.51 9.58
    SO1(2n=24) 825 64.0 29.5 ± 2.26 7.66
    WE1(2n=24) 769 84.0 29.3 ± 2.40 8.18

    had the widest distribution, has more chromosomal


    interconnections. The non-occurrence of interconnections
    and clumping in later stages of meiotic division and the
    fact that pollen viability was high (Table 3), seem to
    compliment the view that these events are a useful
    strategy for survival rather than aberrations.

    REFERENCES

    Figure 3. Metaphase 1 in C. frutescence showing clumped Akpabio KE (1990).Chromosomal interconnections and Metaphase 1
    chromosomes. clumping in meiosis of four species of Crotalaria L. Nig J. Bot. Vol.
    3:191-195.
    Anand N, Desphande AA, Ramachander RR (1987). Intra-group
    geometry in Capsicum annuum L. Genet. Agric. 41:453-460.
    Falusi OA (2003). Cytogenetics of C. annuum and C.frutescence L. J.
    Agric. Biotech. Environ. 5:1-7
    Falusi OA, Salako EA, Falusi FM (2005). Prelimnary survey of the
    chromosome number of the accessions of Sesamum indicum in
    Nigeria. Nig. J. Appl Arts Sci. (Maiden Edition) 31-34.
    Heiser CB (1976). Peppers (Capsicum Solanaceae), In: Evolution of
    crop plants. London and New York, pp. 265-267.
    Myhra S, Brogger A (1975). Interchromosomal DNA containing fibres in
    human cells Humangenetic, 29::183-189.
    Olorode O (1973). Meiotic studies on the diploid hybrid between E.
    sonchifolia and E. coccinea (compositae), Cytologia, 38: 725-729
    Purseglove JW (1968). Tropical crops dicotyledonous 2. Longmans,
    Figure 4. Metaphase 1 in C. annuum showing clumped Green and Co. Ltd., London. pp. 524-530.
    chromosomes and interchromatin connections. Viinikka Y, Nokkala S (1981). Interchromosomal connections in meiosis
    of Secale cereal. Hereditas, 95:219-224.

    her as evident at metaphase 1 (Figures 3 and 4). This


    present study therefore suggests that there is a direct
    relationship between chromosome interconnections and
    clumping. The heterochromatic regions of some of the
    chromosomes could have fused together early in the first
    meiotic division. This probably resulted in the formation of
    chromatic knots, which lead to the formation of prominent
    interconnections that were observed at diplonema and
    diakinesis. A similar situation was reported in Crotalaria
    species by Akpabio (1990).
    The reduction in the number of these interconnections
    as meiosis progressed must have resulted from repulsion
    and chromatin breaks. The intensity of the occurrence of
    such events could be a characteristic of the species and
    their distribution. This explains why C. frutescence, which

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