Staining of RNA and DNA on electrophoretic gels and in cytology with juice of Vaccinium myrtillus berries

Background

My early results of cytological chromosome staining with berry juice of blueberry or bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) was re-evaluated with staining of electrophoretic agarose and polyacrylamide gels, fractionating DNA, RNA, and proteins.

Results

Electrophoretic gels were stained with juice from berries of V. myrtillus, only filtered, or the diluted filtrate was mixed with acetic acid and 2-propanol. The staining starts in 2 min, with the highest intensity over the background usually appearing in about 30 min. The berry juice stains RNA, DNA, and an unidentified contaminant of molar mass 200–700 g. After differentiation of the gel background, the stained zones appear purple or black. The berry juice staining with or without acetic 2-propanol shows sharp RNA and DNA zones on gels in Vis (visible) light, and the berry juice displaces a preceding staining with ethidium bromide. A secondary staining with ethidium bromide is not able to displace the berry juice in nucleic acids. Cytological staining of sectioned mature barley (Hordeum vulgare) grains with Vaccinium myrtillus juice followed by differentiation in dilute acetic acid shows nuclei and apparent RNA storing compartments in the aleurone cells and stains suberin-containing chalazal cells of the grain crease deeply red, which keeps long. The anthocyanins faintly stain some proteins on gels. The preparation of polymers from cytochrome c and myoglobin was described.

Conclusions

The staining molecules of V. myrtillus anthocyanins apparently intercalate in the nucleic acids competing for the sites, which could be intercalated by ethidium bromide. The juice is suggested to have use in the exchange of intercalating toxic molecules from DNA and RNA, in the inactivation of viruses, and phytotherapy. The juice may have a use as a nontoxic stain in cytology.

Linear differentation of cereal chromosomes : III. Rye, triticale and 'Aurora' variety

The BSG test was used in an investigation of the linear differentiation in rye variety 'Zhitkinskaya', common wheat variety 'Aurora' and two secondary Triticale namely AD-196 and F-1239.Chromosomes of 'Aurora' variety and wheat chromosomes within Triticale may be easily divided into "constant" and 'variable' chromosomes as described previously (lordansky et al. 1977; Zurabishvili et al 1977).It is necessary to emphasize that the diversity of "variable" chromosomes underlies karyotypical polymorphism within wheat and Triticale species. The polymorphism observed exists in parallel with strict homomorphism of homologous chromosomes.In IB chromosomes of 'Aurora' variety, the short arm is substituted by the rye chromosome arm. The karyotype of Triticale AD-196 consists of six pairs of rye chromosomes and fifteen pairs of wheat chromosomes.

Linear differentiation of cereal chromosomes : I. Common wheat and its supposed ancestors

Using the Giemsa technique of differential staining (the BSG test), we have studies the karyotypes and constructed the idiograms of T. aestivum L. var. 'Diamant' and 'Chinese Spring', T. Monococcum L. v. 'hornemannii' ssp. roles occidentali georgicum Dek., Aegilops squarrosa L. v. 'Meeyeri', T. aestivum. The karyotypes of 'Chinese Spring' and 'Diamant' differ drastically both in total structural heterochromatin content and its localization on the nine morphologically homeologous chromosomes. The rest of the twelve pairs of chromosomes showed no morphological similarity. This indicates considerable differences in the phylogeny of the varieties, and also an absence of unique karyotype in T. aestivum.Three chromosomes of Ae. Squarrosa are similar to those of 'Chinese Spring', yet, on the whole, the chromosomal structural specificity of the diploids studied is so high that we fail to understand the nature of the homology between common wheat and its supposed diploid ancestors.The role of introgression in the evolution of the genomes of Triticum and Aegilops, and also the meaning of the conjugation and BSG tests in resolving the phylogeny, is discussed.