The linear order of genes is apparently interrupted at chromosomal ends. Our observations on human blood and bone marrow cells indicate that the chromosomes of each of the two parental sets maintain coherence, perhaps in tandem, forming a ring. Two such rings in a diploid cell join building a larger ring, which folds up to form the interphase nucleus. The linear order of genes thus extends beyond the chromosomal ends. These observations become especially significant when seen in the light of cell biologic findings on interaction of chromosomes or chromatin and centrioles in different cell cycle phases, in polymorphonuclear cells and during the zygotic developments. They may explain how the genomic order and the sequential continuity of the genes are maintained and why such order remains often cryptic.

Related Articles