Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

McClintock's controlling elements: the full story.

R N Jones1

  • 1Institute of Biological Sciences, The University of Wales Aberystwyth, Aberystwyth, UK. rnj@aber.ac.uk

Cytogenetic and Genome Research
|March 9, 2005
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Use of a multiplex PCR to detect and identify Mycobacterium avium and M. intracellulare in blood culture fluids of AIDS patients.

Journal of clinical microbiology·1995
Same author

Asbestos: a risk too far?

Lancet (London, England)·1995
Same author

In vitro evaluation of DV-7751a, a new fluoroquinolone with an enhanced spectrum of activity against gram-positive aerobic organisms and anaerobes.

Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy·1995
Same author

Ceftibuten: a review of antimicrobial activity, spectrum and other microbiologic features.

The Pediatric infectious disease journal·1995
Same author

Evaluation of the Etest for determinations of antimicrobial spectrum and potency against anaerobes associated with bacterial vaginosis and peritonitis.

Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America·1995
Same author

In vitro activity of levofloxacin and FK-037 against aerobic isolates from spontaneous bacterial peritonitis.

Journal of chemotherapy (Florence, Italy)·1995
Same journal

Genomic Organization of Ribosomal DNA and Karyotypic Diversity in Vicia sativa and Vicia villosa.

Cytogenetic and genome research·2026
Same journal

George Martin and Werner's Syndrome.

Cytogenetic and genome research·2026
Same journal

The Spectrum of Mosaic Double Aneuploidy of Monosomy X and Trisomy 18: Two New Cases and Review of the Literature.

Cytogenetic and genome research·2026
Same journal

Familial Robertsonian Translocation, rob(14;21), with High Risk for Down Syndrome.

Cytogenetic and genome research·2026
Same journal

Radiosensitivity and Bystander Response in X-Ray-Irradiated Tumour and Normal Epithelial Cells of Breast and Prostate Origin.

Cytogenetic and genome research·2026
Same journal

Cytogenetic Profile of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia in South India: A Series of 1,819 Patients from a Single Centre.

Cytogenetic and genome research·2026
See all related articles

Barbara McClintock discovered mobile DNA elements in maize, known as Ac-Ds controlling elements. Her work revealed how chromosome breakage influences kernel variegation and led to understanding transposon mobility.

Area of Science:

  • Genetics
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cytogenetics

Background:

  • Maize (Zea mays) possesses unique reproductive biology making it an ideal model organism for genetic studies.
  • Early genetic research relied on observing phenotypic traits, such as kernel variegation, to infer underlying genetic mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To detail Barbara McClintock's groundbreaking research on mobile genetic elements in maize.
  • To explain the cytogenetic basis for chromosome breakage and its role in variegation phenotypes.
  • To trace the discovery and characterization of the Ac-Ds family of transposons.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing maize's reproductive biology and specific cytological techniques to induce and observe chromosome breakage.
  • Analyzing variegation patterns in maize kernels as indicators of genetic events.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Cytogenetic analysis to study chromatid and chromosome breakage-fusion-bridge cycles.

    • Main Results:

    • Discovery of the Ac-Ds family of mobile DNA elements, termed "controlling elements".
    • Established a link between chromosome breakage and kernel variegation phenotypes.
    • Uncovered the autonomous (Ac) and non-autonomous (Ds) nature of these elements and their mobility.

    Conclusions:

    • Barbara McClintock's work laid the foundation for understanding transposons and their dynamic role in genome evolution.
    • The Ac-Ds system in maize provided crucial early evidence for DNA elements capable of moving within the genome.
    • Subsequent molecular cloning confirmed the nature of these mobile genetic elements.