The Organization Of Genetic Units in Chromosomes

Abstract

In the genomes of chromosomal organisms, cytological evidence from disparate sources suggests that each unit of information encoded as a DNA base sequence is serially repeated. Further cytological and genetical evidence suggests that among such serially repeated sequences a terminal unit serves as the ‘master’ sequence, within which recombinational events can occur, followed by ‘slave’ sequences which are not directly involved in recombination but which are made congruent to the master sequence once per life-cycle. The formation of lateral ‘lamp-brush’ loops in meiotic prophase, after synapsis, is claimed to represent the outcome of the master/slave matching process.