Use of laser microdissection for the construction of Humulusjaponicus Siebold et Zuccarini, 1846 (Cannabaceae) sex chromosome-specific DNA library and cytogenetics analysis.

Dioecy is relatively rare among plant species, and distinguishable sex chromosomes have been reported in few dioecious species. The multiple sex chromosome system (XX/XY1Y2) of Humulusjaponicus Siebold et Zuccarini, 1846 differs from that of other members of the family Cannabaceae, in which the XX/XY chromosome system is present. Sex chromosomes of Humulusjaponicus were isolated from meiotic chromosome spreads of males by laser microdissection with the P.A.L.M. MicroLaser system. The chromosomal DNA was directly amplified by degenerate oligonucleotide primed polymerase chain reaction (DOP-PCR). Fast fluorescence in situ hybridization (FAST-FISH) using a labeled, chromosome-specific DOP-PCR product as a probe showed preferential hybridization to sex chromosomes. In addition, the DOP-PCR product was used to construct a short-insert, Humulusjaponicus sex chromosomes-specific DNA library. The randomly sequenced clones showed that about 12% of them have significant homology to Humuluslupulus and 88% to Cannabissativa Linnaeus, 1753 sequences from GenBank database. Forty-four percent of the sequences show homology to plant retroelements. It was concluded that laser microdissection is a useful tool for isolating the DNA of sex chromosomes of Humulusjaponicus and for the construction of chromosome-specific DNA libraries for the study of the structure and evolution of sex chromosomes. The results provide the potential for identifying unique or sex chromosome-specific sequence elements in Humulusjaponicus and could aid in the identification of sex chromosome-specific repeat and coding regions through chromosome isolation and genome complexity reduction.

Interferometry based technique for intensity profile measurements of far IR beams.

We present a novel, to the best of our knowledge, method for measuring the intensity profile of far-IR beams. The method is based on the measurements of nonstationary variation in optical thickness of a fused-silica plate heated by the studied radiation. The optical thickness is observed by means of a reflecting interferometer. Purpose-made experimental setup allows one to measure beams with an aperture of up to 60 mm with a spatial resolution of 1 mm. The accessibility of the utilized technologies and the possibility to easily increase the aperture are the major advantages of this approach. The probable area of application for the method is measurements of beams produced by powerful industrial far-IR lasers.