HCl-acetic Acid Treatment for the Detection of Heterochromatic Regions in Metaphase Chromosomes

抄録

Primary root-tips of Vicia faba were treated with a 1:9 mixture of 1N HCl and 45% acetic acid at 90° for 1 to 7min after pretreatment with 0.05% colchicine for 3hr, and stained by Feulgen and squashed. Within 2 to 4min treatment the heterochromatic segments in metaphase chromosomes were revealed. Further hydrolysis resulted figures analogous to chromosome fragmentation and loss of stainability from whole regions of chromosomes. The results obtained in the present experiment indicate that this HCl-acetic acid treatment is useful as a method for revealing H segments in metaphase chromosomes. Moreover, this treatment is more favorable and effective than the cold treatment in revealing H segments. It is inferred that H segments revealed in the present experiment represent the difference in the chemical composition of chromosomal nucleoproteins.