Mitotic karyotypes of Brassica campestris and Brassica alboglabra and identification of the B. alboglabra chromosome in an addition line

Abstract

A Brassica campestris-alboglabra monosomic addition line (genome: AA + one chromosome from the C genome, 2n = 21) harbours the Brassica alboglabra (CC, 2n = 18) chromosome with the gene for erucic acid. In order to identify this chromosome, we have studied the mitotic prometaphase chromosomes of Brassica campestris (AA, 2n = 20), B. alboglabra, and the monosomic addition line. More pronounced differential staining and size differences of chromosomes were observed in B. campestris than in B. alboglabra. The karyotype of B. campestris was composed of four median (m), four submedian (sm), and two subterminal (st) chromosome pairs, while that of B. alboglabra was composed of three m, four sm, and two st chromosome pairs, provided that the length of the satellite was excluded when determining the arm ratio of the nucleolar chromosome. The alien chromosome from the C genome in the addition line was easily identified in the background B. campestris genome by its large size, its submedian centromere, and its differential staining pattern. When compared with the karyotype of B. alboglabra, the alien chromosome from the C genome in the monosomic addition line was revealed to be chromosome 4.