GENOME ELIMINATION OF ONE OF THE PARENTS IN THE HYBRIDOGENIC SPECIES RANA-ESCULENTA PRIOR TO PREMEIOTIC DNA-SYNTHESIS

  • 1 June 1988
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 30  (6) , 691-698
Abstract
A DNA-cytometric study was made of spermatogenesis of the hybridogenetic European green frog R. esculenta, whose somatic cells have the ridibunda + lessonae genome. The DNA amount in the ridibunda genome is by 16 % more than the lessonae one. The DNA content of esculenta somatic cells is exactly intermediate between those of both the parental species. On the contrary, the sperms (1c) and the primary spermatocytes (4c) of R. esculenta have the DNA content which corresponds to the size of the ridibunda genome. These findings are in a good agreement with the hypothesis of semiclonal inheritance. Furthermore, some hybridogenetic males have also spermatogonia (2c) with only the ridibunda genome size, whereas the others have altogether diploid cells with the esculenta (i.e. ridibunda+lessonae) genome size. So, it can be suggested that the selective elimination of the lessonae genome and compensatory doubling of the ridibunda one may occur in spermatogonia of R. esculenta males before the premeiotic DNA synthesis. Meiosis, as it can be inferred from the DNA-cytometry data, proceeds in a usual way on the basis of the ridibunda genome.