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Evaluation of DNA damage in tobacco male meiocytes involved in cytomixis using comet assay

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Abstract

Cytomixis is a process of nuclear migration between plant cells. As a rule, it is detectable in male meiocytes and gives rise to the cells with micronuclei. Examination of the integrity and functional state of migrating chromatin is of great interest, since cytomixis is assumed to change the gamete karyotype. We, for the first time, used comet assay to assess the DNA integrity in the chromatin that migrates between plant meiocytes. As was shown, the cells involved in cytomixis are viable and display no signs of DNA damage. Any comet tails are undetectable in both the main nuclei of the cells involved in cytomixis and cytomictic micronuclei. On the other hand, the cytomictic micronuclei after heat shock (positive control) form typical comet tails.

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Acknowledgements

The work was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research [16-34-60007 mol_a_dk] and the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Science under the program “Molecular genetic bases of regulation of genes expression, morphology, differentiation and cell reprogramming” [0324-2016-0003]. The microscopy was conducted at the Joint Access Center for Microscopy of Biological Objects with the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

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  1. Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, pr. Lavrentieva 10, Novosibirsk, Russian Federation, 630090

    Sergey Mursalimov, Alla Zagorskaya & Elena Deineko

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  1. Sergey Mursalimov
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  2. Alla Zagorskaya
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  3. Elena Deineko
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Correspondence to Sergey Mursalimov.

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Mursalimov, S., Zagorskaya, A. & Deineko, E. Evaluation of DNA damage in tobacco male meiocytes involved in cytomixis using comet assay. Protoplasma 255, 413–417 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00709-017-1144-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00709-017-1144-6

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