Abstract
Fennel is a member of the Apiaceae family native to the Mediterranean area. The last taxonomic revision recognizes two species of fennel, Anethum foeniculum and Anethum piperitum corresponding, respectively, to the taxa previously classified as Foeniculum vulgare subsp. vulgare and Foeniculum vulgare subsp. piperitum. In recent years research has dedicated interest to fennel, considering both its agronomic and pharmaceutical aspects but largely overlooking its cytogenetic characteristics. To fill this gap, the chromosome structure of A. foeniculum and A. piperitum was examined by applying a combination of FISH (Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization), GISH (Genomic In Situ Hybridization) and DAPI (4′-6-diamidino-2-phenylindole) banding techniques. The FISH experiments revealed a similar distribution pattern of rDNA sites and telomeric repeats in both fennel species. An in-depth view of the chromosome structure of A. piperitum and A. foeniculum was obtained using the self-GISH procedure which revealed repetitive DNA sequences located in the centromeric and terminal regions of all chromosomes. The correspondence of s-GISH signals with DAPI banding suggests that these sequences are the principal component of the heterochromatin of fennel. These results could constitute the basic references for further molecular cytogenetic analyses to shed light on the evolutionary and taxonomic aspects of fennel.
Published Version
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