GLOBAL STRUCTURE OF POLYTENE

CHROMOSOME AND LAMPBRUSH

CHROMOSOME
 INTRODUCTION

• Giant chromosomes are very large chromosome

• Found in only specialized cells or tissue
• For eg salivary gland of Dorsophilla
• The term giant chromosome coined by Winchester
• Giant chromosome are divided into two types
• Polytene chromosome
• Lampbrush chromosome
 POLYTENE CHROMOSOME

• Poly =many ,• tene = strand

• It’s also known as salivary gland chromosome
• Discovered in the salivary gland of Dorsophilla melanoglaster
• Discovered by E G Balbiani in 1881
• The term polytene chromosome coined by Kollar
• Its found only during cell cycle of interphase stage ,where cell
division is absent
• Polytene chromosomes contain 1000 times more DNA than the
normal somatic chromosomes
• Polytene chromosome 2000 um in length(7.5um somatic cell)
In S phase it continues DNA replication and
doesn’t undergoes cell division
Thus their occuring of multiple chromatids
jointed in one centromere this process is called
endomitosis
.As a result the daughter chromatids do not
separate and remain joined side by side,,thuss
polytene chromosome are formed
In Dorsophilla 10 times endoduplication
results in 1024 thread like structure in each
chromosome
Roughly 10 times longer than 1000 times
wider than metaphase chromosome typical
eukaryotic cell
 STRUCTURE

• Polytene chromosome consist of large number of partially replicated chromosome

nearly stuck together in laterall array
• The Polytene Chromosomes are found in the form of 6 radiating arms from
chromocentre (5 long and 1 short arm)
• . X-chromosome (longest arm)
• . 2R (II-chromosome Right arm) . 2L (II-chromosome Left arm)]
• . 3R (III-chromosome Right arm). 3L (Ill-chromosome Left arm)
• . IV-chromosome (Shortest arm)
• Y-chromosome is not visualized as they are completely fused with chromocenter
and they are totally heterochromatin.
• Chromocenter is the central point of a polytene chromosome
• The bands light (interband) and dark band arranged in alternative manner
• Dark band higher coiling of chromonemata
• Light band less coiling of of chromonemata
• Dark band have more (85%) DNA and less RNA
• Light band have less (15%) DNA and more RNA
• The chromatin in each band appears dark, either because it is much more condensed
than the chromatin in the interbands,
• The dark bands are euchromatic region
• The average band contains some 80,000 base pairs of DNA enough to encode a
single polypeptide chain.
• The cross banding pattern of each polytene chromosome is a constant characteristic
within a species and helps for chromosome mapping during cytogenetic studies.
• Dark bands of the chromosome may swell up or puff out to form
extensions or puffs called chromosomal puffs or Balbiani rings
• It’s the swelling of chromasomal centromere area.
• The formation of puffs is called puffing
• Puffs indicate active site of RNA synthesis through that it involves
transcription process
• The chromonemata uncoil to form many loops in the puffs.
• Paternal and maternal chromosomes remain aligned side by side in
polytene chromosomes and this phenomenon is known as somatic
pairing.
• It’s formed of DNA, RNA and few protein
 SIGNIFICANCE

• They increase the cell volume and DNA content so it has multiple copies of
genes that allow a high level of gene expression.
• For example, in Drosophila melanogaster, the polytene chromosomes of the
larval salivary glands help produce a large amount of adhesive mucoprotein,
a type of glue before pupation.
• The bar phenotype of kidney-shaped eyes in this fly is also produced due to
the polytene chromosome
• . The interbands interact with the active chromatin proteins and serve as
binding sites for RNA polymerase II to begin replication and remodelling of
nucleosome or short fragments of DNA.
 LAMPBRUSH CHROMOSOME

• It was discovered by Walther Flemming in 1882

• Discovered in the growing oocytes of salamander
• Name Lampbrush chromosome is also given by Ruckert
• they looked like brushes used to clean kerosene lamp
• Largest type of chromosomes
• It has seen in invertebrate and verterbrate except for mammal
• In invertebrate lampbrush chromosome is small and hairy like structure
• In verterbrate it’s big and less hairy
• the lampbrush chromosomes are visible under the light microscope.
• The chromosomes transform into the lampbrush during the diplotene
stage of meiotic prophase I.
These chromosomes are most distinctly observed during the prolonged diplotene
stage of oocytes.
During diplotene, the homologous chromosomes begin to separate from each other,
remaining in contact only at several points along their length.
Each chromosome of a pair has several chromomeres distributed over its length;
from each of a majority of the chromomeres generally a pair of lateral loops extends
in the opposite directions perpendicular to the main axis of the chromosome.
In some cases, more than one pair, even upto 9 pairs of loops may emerge from a
single chromomere
• These lateral loops give the chromosomes the appearance of a lampbrush which is
the reason for their name lamp- brush chromosomes.
 STRUCTURE

• They are synapsed homologous chromosomes that measure around 1500 to 2000
micrometre in length
• They occur in bivalent form as they are meiotic bivalents (one maternal and paternal).
• Each bivalent is made of two homologous chromosomes (4 chromatids) connected by
chiasmat
• The longitudinal axis from which loops arise is made of a single DNA molecule.
• Numerous bead-like structures called chromomeres are arranged in a linear fashion
along this axis.
• Two symmetrical lateral loops in opposite direction emerge from each chromomere
that can expand or contract in response to different environmental conditions.
• The opposite loops are always symmetrical.
• Each chromosome in the bivalent has two of them one for each chromatid the
centromeres of each of the chromosomes do not have loops
• There are around 10000 loops per chromosome set or haploid set.
• The lateral loops contain 5 to 10 % of DNA.
• It consists of transcriptionally active DNA that can make a large amount of
mRNA required for the synthesis
• The mass of the chromomeres also reduces at the point from where loops arise as
due to the corresponding loop formation chromomere material spin out into the
lateral strands.
• The length of the loop is 10 micrometre and its diameter is around 1 micrometre.
• The Loops are rich in RNA and form around an axis made of single DNA
molecule that gets unfolded from the chromosome during RNA synthesis
• The loop is covered by a matrix made of RNA transcripts and binding
protein attached to them
• Its major function of Lampbrush chromosome is to help in RNA synthesis
and lipid
 BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE

The loops present in the chromosomes are used in chromosome mapping,

particularly those loops that appear at a constant location in the chromosome.
It is very useful to visualize gene expression in its neutral state and allow to
study changes associated with transcription.
• It provides evidence for eukaryotic gene amplification that is needed in the
growth phase of oocytes.
• It can be used to analyse hybridization.
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