Unfurling an improved method for visualizing mitotic chromosomes in ferns

Rosa Ramirez-Castillo, Claudio Palma-Rojas, Pedro Jara Seguel, Amanda L. Grusz, Cristian Araya-Jaime

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Premise: Cytotaxonomy employs chromosome visualization to study organismal relationships and evolution. Despite the critical value of cytogenetic data, cytotypes are lacking for many plant groups. Here, we present an improved approach for visualizing mitotic chromosomes in ferns, a key lineage of land plants, using the dividing cells of unfurling croziers (fiddleheads). Methods and Results: Our modified mitotic chromosome preparation incorporates a brief pectinase–cellulase pretreatment, as well as colchicine fixation and the Feulgen reaction to improve the staining and separation of mitotic chromosomes. To demonstrate this easy and efficient assessment, we determined the sporophytic (2n) chromosome number for three fern species: Cheilanthes mollis (2n = 60), Cheilanthes hypoleuca (2n = 120), and Nephrolepis cordifolia (2n = 82). Conclusions: The new method presented here improves visualizations of mitotic chromosomes from the dividing nuclei of young fern croziers. Fiddleheads are widely accessible in nature and in living collections worldwide, and this modified approach increases their suitability for fern cytotaxonomic studies.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article numbere11588
JournalApplications in Plant Sciences
Volume12
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 1 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Author(s). Applications in Plant Sciences published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Botanical Society of America.

Keywords

  • Cheilanthes hypoleuca
  • Cheilanthes mollis
  • Cheilanthoideae
  • Nephrolepidaceae
  • Nephrolepis cordifolia
  • cytology
  • karyotype
  • whole-genome duplication

PubMed: MeSH publication types

  • Journal Article

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