Abstract
SALIVARY glands of Chironomus thummi explanted into hæmolymph or saline revert their pattern of gene activities—visible in the giant chromosomes as puffs—to a more juvenile stage1,2. It has turned out that this process—called ‘rejuvenation’—is due to an influx of Na+ ions into the nucleus. By stepwise changing the Na+/K+ balance in the medium it is possible to activate a graded series of genetic loci, every Na+: K+ ratio inciting different groups of loci to form puffs (Fig. 1). The series of puffing patterns induced by stepwise replacing Na+ by K+ is identical with the sequence of puffing patterns which in salivary glands marks the transition from the adult larva to the middle pre-pupa.
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References
Kroeger, H., J. Cell. Comp. Physiol., Supp. (in the press).
Kroeger, H., Chromosoma (in the press).
Keyl, H.-G., Chromosoma, 8, 739 (1957).
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KROEGER, H. Chemical Nature of the System controlling Gene Activities in Insect Cells. Nature 200, 1234–1235 (1963). https://doi.org/10.1038/2001234a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/2001234a0
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