Chromosomal rearrangement in autotetraploid plants of Arabidopsis thaliana.

Recent development of cytogenetic techniques has facilitated significant progress in Arabidopsis thaliana karyotype studies. Double-target FISH with rRNA genes provides makers that allow individual chromosome in the genome to be distinguished. Those studies have revealed that the number and position of rDNA loci is ecotype-specific. Arabidopsis is believed to be a true diploid (x = 5) with numerous ecotypes (accessions) and only a very few natural polyploid populations reported. Few studies were undertaken to induce polyploidy in Arabidopsis, however none of those gave the cytogenetic characteristics of polyploid plants. Our analysis of chromosome pairing of colchicine-induced autotetraploid Arabidopsis (Wilna ecotype) revealed preferential bivalent pairing in PMCs (pollen mother cells). In order to attempt to explain this phenomenon, first of all more detailed cytogenetic studies of autopolyploid plants have been undertaken. The localization of 45S and 5S rDNA loci in the diploid and autotetraploid plants revealed that Wilna ecotypes belongs to the group of Arabidopsis accessions with only two 5S rDNA loci present in a genome. Furthermore, the rearrangement of 45S rDNA locus in autopolyploid, when compared to the diploid plants of the same ecotype, was revealed. These results are interesting also in the context of the recently emphasised role of polyploidy in plant evolution and speciation. Arabidopsis, despite having small chromosomes, is a good system to study chromosome behaviour in relation to diploidization of autopolyploids and to evaluate the degree of chromosomal rearrangements during this process.