CHROMOSOME

STRUCTURE
AND
DNA
SEQUENCE
ORGANIZATION

HOW THE GENETIC

MATERIAL WAS
ORGANIZED AS IT
MAKES UP THE
GENOME?

Survey of chromosomes in virus and bacteria

Polytene and lampbrush chromosomes
= FERNANDO, Ciara Mae

Organization of eukaryotic chromosomes at

molecular level
= DIAZ, Suzenne

BACTERIA VS. VIRUS VS. EUKARYOTE

CHARACTER

BACTERIA

VIRUS

EUKARYOTE

DNA or RNA

DNA

Either

DNA

Single or
Double
Stranded

Double

Either

Double

Circular or
Linear

Circular

Either

Linear

Complexity

Less

Less

More

cProtein

HU and H1

None

Histone

VIRAL CHROMOSOMES
> DNA or RNA
>Single or Double Stranded

Circular (Closed
Loops) or Linear <

Bacteriophage = linear doublestranded DNA -> Infection -> circular

Bacteriophage T2 =
Linear double
stranded (no circling)

X174
bacteriophage =
single-stranded
DNA, circular

Polyoma Virus =
doublestranded DNA

BACTERIAL CHROMOSOMES

With HU and HI proteins similar to histones but

do not compact DNA

Escherichia coli large

circular chromosome,
DNA, Double stranded

Haemophilus inluenzae
DNA, Double stranded

GENETIC MATERIAL OF
REPRESENTATIVE VIRUSES AND
BACTERIA
NUCLEIC ACID
ORGANISM
VIRUSES

BACTERIA

TYPE

SS or DS LENGTH

Over-all size

X174
bacteriophage

DNA

SS

2.0
micro

0.025 x 0.025
micro

Tobacco
mosaic virus

RNA

SS

3.3
micro

0.30 x 0.02
micro

Bacteriophage

DNA

DS

17.0
micro

0.07 x 0.07
micro

Bacteriophage
T2

DNA

DS

52.0
micro

0.07 x 0.10
micro

Escherichia
coli

DNA

DS

832
micro

1.00 x 0.30
micro

Haemophilus
inluenzae

DNA

DS

1200
micro

2.00 x 0.5
micro

SUPERCOILING FOR COMPACTION

1)Polyoma Virus by
Jerome Vinigrad
2)E. coli
Topoisomerase I
and II

MOLECULAR ORGANIZATION AND

GENE PRODUCTS OF
MITOCHONDRIAL DNA

mtDNA Double stranded, closed circle

without chromosomal protein
Ciliated protozoans = single stranded
16,000-18,000 bp

ORGANISM
Varying Length
Animals
(Including
humans)
Yeast
(Saccharmoyces
cerevisiae)

BASE
PAIR
(bp)
16,000
18,000
75

Plant
(e.g. 367
Arabidopsis
thaliana)

(x) Introns, gene repetition and intergenic

spacer
Replication dependent on enzymes encoded
by nuclear DNA
H strand and L strand

MOLECULAR ORGANIZATION AND

GENE PRODUCTS OF
CHLOROPLAST DNA

cpDNA Uniform in size (100-225 kb)

Circular and double stranded; (x)
chromosomal protein
w/ Introns

SPECIALIZED CHROMOSOMES

Polytene and lampbrush large

unusual

Lampbrush

Polytene

POLYTENE CHROMOSOMES

Nuclei of interphase cells (Somatic cell)

Various tissue in larvae of flies, protozoans
and plants
First discovered by E.G. Balbiani
200-600 micrometers long
Linear series of alternating bands and
interbands
Chromomeres lateral condensation of
material along the axis of a chromosome

Unusual characteristics:
1) Paired Homologs
2) Large size and distinctiveness
) Puff visible manifestation of gene activity
(holds localized uncoiling)

LAMPBRUSH CHROMOSOMES

Resembles brushes to clean kerosene-lamp

chimney
1st discovered in shark oocyte Meotic
chromosomes

Prophase I (synapsed pair but extends length)

15 to 20 micrometers 500-800
micrometers
Chromomeres Lateral loop
Appearance
Adjacent loops Along one
More DNA than is needed