Skip to main content
The Journal of Biophysical and Biochemical Cytology logoLink to The Journal of Biophysical and Biochemical Cytology
. 1956 Jul 25;2(4):403–406. doi: 10.1083/jcb.2.4.403

THE FINE STRUCTURE OF CHROMOSOMES IN THE MEIOTIC PROPHASE OF VERTEBRATE SPERMATOCYTES

Don W Fawcett 1
PMCID: PMC2229679  PMID: 13357504

Abstract

The prophase chromosomes of the first meiotic division in pigeon, cat, and man contain a central structure or core consisting of a pair of dense fibrils (450 A) that are parallel to one another and equidistant from a delicate linear region of increased density midway between them. These parallel strands are present early in prophase and the chromosomes seem to arise by congregation and organization of the chromatin granules around them. They have not been observed in mitosis or in other stages of meiosis.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (774.6 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. BORYSKO E. [An electron microscope study of the giant chromosomes of Diptera by means of sections]. Bull Johns Hopkins Hosp. 1953 Feb;92(2):151–169. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. BURGOS M. H., FAWCETT D. W. An electron microscope study of spermatid differentiation in the toad, Bufo arenarum Hensel. J Biophys Biochem Cytol. 1956 May 25;2(3):223–240. doi: 10.1083/jcb.2.3.223. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. BURGOS M. H., FAWCETT D. W. Studies on the fine structure of the mammalian testis. I. Differentiation of the spermatids in the cat (Felis domestica). J Biophys Biochem Cytol. 1955 Jul 25;1(4):287–300. doi: 10.1083/jcb.1.4.287. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. MOSES M. J. Chromosomal structures in crayfish spermatocytes. J Biophys Biochem Cytol. 1956 Mar 25;2(2):215–218. doi: 10.1083/jcb.2.2.215. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. YASUZUMI G. Electron microscopic study on constituent chromofilaments of metabolic chromosomes. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1955 Mar;16(3):322–329. doi: 10.1016/0006-3002(55)90233-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of Biophysical and Biochemical Cytology are provided here courtesy of The Rockefeller University Press

RESOURCES