SpringerProtocols: Abstract: 7. Feulgen-DNA Cytophotometry for Estimating C Values

7. Feulgen-DNA Cytophotometry for Estimating C Values

By: Ellen M. Rasch²

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The genome size of an organism, commonly known as its C value, is defined as the content of DNA (measured by weight or numbers of basepairs) in a single copy of the sequence of DNA found within the cells of an organism (i.e., the amount of DNA in a haploid chromosome set, where 1n=1C) (1). A single sperm of Drosophila melanogaster contains 0.18 pg DNA, which is the C value for this species (2–4). By convention, the DNA content of a diploid somatic cell of this species can then be expressed as 2n=8=2C=0.36 pg DNA for the male diploid genotype of AAXY (3). And, 2C=0.40 pg DNA for a diploid Drosophila female somatic cell with the genotype of AAXX because the X chromosome contains a bit more DNA than the Y chromosome in this species (see Table 1). These considerations follow from the “DNA Constancy Hypothesis” formulated in the 1950s (5–8) that the DNA content of nuclei of a eukaryotic species is essentially constant among the individuals within a given species and constitutes the repository of genetic information for that taxon. For example, genome sizes, expressed as C values, are listed in Table 1 for 10 different species of Drosophila.

Table 1 Estimates of Genome Size for 10 Different Species of Drosophila Expressed as C Values in pg DNA per Nucleus ^a and Number of Nucleotide Basepairs (np)

Species	C Value = DNApg per nucleus	np×10⁸
D. americana	0.30	2.74
D. arizonensis	0.22	2.01
D. eohydei	0.24	2.19
D. funebris	0.23	2.10
D. hydei	0.20	1.83
D. melanogaster (♂)	0.18	1.64
D. melanogaste (♀)	0.20	1.82
D. miranda	0.30	2.74
D. neohydei	0.19	1.73
D. simulans	0.12	1.10
D. virilis	0.34	2.89
Chicken^b	1.25	11.41
Xenopus laevis ^b	3.15	28.76

^aComputed by assuming 9.13×10⁸nucleotide pairs per picogram of DNA (9).

^bC values are shown for red blood cell (RBC) nuclei of two reference standards. Source: Adapted from T. R. Gregory, www.genomesize.com/insects. For primary citations,seedatabase at this website.

Affiliation(s): (2) Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN

Book Title: Drosophila Cytogenetics Protocols

Series: Methods in Molecular Biology | Volume: 247 | Pub. Date: Nov-04-2003 | Page Range: 163-201 | DOI: 10.1385/1-59259-665-7:163

Subject: Genetics/Genomics

References

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