DNA from Maize with and without B Chromosomes: A Comparative Study.

DNA preparations from 5B and 0B maize seedlings are indistinguishable in their buoyant density distribution in CsCl gradients. Their renaturation kinetics are identical at several stringency criteria. DNA competition studies fail to detect any component in 5B DNA redundant sequences which is lacking in 0B DNA. Homologous and heterologous duplexes formed between 5B and 0B DNA have virtually identical melting profiles. The DNA of B chromosomes is concluded to be very closely related to that of A chromosomes.