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B Chromosomes

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Chromosome Structure and Aberrations

Abstract

Supernumerary B chromosomes (Bs) have been observed in over 2000 plant, animal, and fungal species. Bs are nonessential and may be deleterious to the host genome at high copy numbers. In order to maintain their presence in a population, they frequently display non-Mendelian inheritance via mitotic or meiotic drive mechanisms. Advances in sequencing technology have recently enabled researchers to confirm earlier assumptions that Bs often arise as amalgamations of normal chromosomes. Because Bs are nonessential, they tend to accumulate transposons, repetitive DNA, and organellar DNA. Some Bs have also been shown to harbor transcribed genes and noncoding loci. Not surprisingly, the presence and/or transcription of Bs may affect transcription of the host genome, and much effort has been expended investigating this possibility. The dispensable nature of Bs makes them excellent tools for studying centromere biology, as well as making them amenable to serving as platforms for genetic engineering. Here, we review the origin, composition, inheritance mechanisms, transcription, and potential uses of Bs from multiple kingdoms.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, 65211, Columbia, MO, USA

    Ryan N. Douglas & James A. Birchler

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  1. Ryan N. Douglas
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  2. James A. Birchler
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Correspondence to James A. Birchler.

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Education, Government of Jammu and Kashmir, Srinagar, India

    Tariq Ahmad Bhat

  2. Department of Botany, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India

    Aijaz Ahmad Wani

Glossary

B chromosome

A special class of nonessential chromosome that is present in addition to the normal complement of chromosomes. They may vary in copy number among individuals in a population or among cells in an individual organism. They do not pair with normal chromosomes during meiosis, and they may possess drive mechanisms to enable their survival.

Drive mechanism

A mechanism that allows a chromosome to be recovered at rates greater than predicted by Mendelian genetics.

Nondisjunction

The failure of sister chromatids to separate properly during mitosis or meiosis. The result of nondisjunction is a pair of aneuploid daughter cells, where one cell contains two copies of a chromosome and the other cell possesses zero copies.

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Douglas, R.N., Birchler, J.A. (2017). B Chromosomes. In: Bhat, T., Wani, A. (eds) Chromosome Structure and Aberrations. Springer, New Delhi. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-3673-3_2

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