Isolation and partial characterization of replication intermediates in Chironomus polytene chromosomes

DNA replication was investigated in cells with polytene chromosomes. The cells were obtained from the salivary glands of the dipteran Chironomus tentans. Polytene chromosomes are characterized by a specific and constant band - interband structure formed by the lateral association of homologous chromatids side by side. - The salivary gland DNA was labelled by injection of radioactive precursor into the living animal, extracted with a neutral nondenaturing buffer at 25 degrees C and finally characterized by agarose gel electrophoresis. Radioactive DNA pulse-labelled for 30-60 min was released from the polytene chromosomes during cell lysis in the form of double-stranded fragments. The fragments, which show a heterogeneous appearance in gel electrophoresis, are probably produced in the living cell by the joining of several Okazaki fragments. The release of the fragments from the polytene chromosome is prevented by lysis at 10 degrees C instead of 25 degrees C. The size of the double-stranded fragments range between 3.75-6 x 10(6) D. Moreover, after a time-lag the fragments are joined together to produce a high-molecular weight DNA. The existence of these nascent DNA fragments is discussed in relation to an earlier proposal that each band in the polytene chromosome may function as a separate replication unit.