C-BANDING OF RYE CHROMOSOMES WITH COLD SSC BUFFER
Various times, temperatures and concentrations of SSC were tested in an attempt to elucidate the mechanism of C-banding in plants. It is shown that C-bands can be induced in rye (Secale cereale L.) chromosomes by SSC treatment at temperatures as low as 0 °C for periods as short as 1 min, an effect previously unknown in either plants or animals. Barium hydroxide treatment appears to be essential for the production of bands. If chromosomes are treated with SSC omitting the Ba(OH)2 treatment, relatively uniform loss of nucleoproteins occurs without the production of C-bands. It is suggested that Ba(OH)2 alters the chemical structure of nucleoproteins in heterochromatin rendering them insoluble in SSC. It is unlikely that SSC functions as a DNA reassociation agent in the production of C-bands. More likely it functions as a leaching agent which extracts soluble nucleoproteins from the chromosomes. Incubation in 2 × SSC at room temperatures for 5-10 min was found to be sufficient for the production of a well contrasted banding pattern in rye chromosomes.