Abstract
Differential frequencies of C-band heterochromatin are reported in the cell nuclei of adult and larval Mytilus edulis L. Male mussels showed, on average, one extra small block of C-band heterochromatin in their gill cell nuclei. Mussel larvae (24-h-old), in contrast, showed no evidence of this relationship. Flow cytometry revealed no heterogeneity in DNA content in mussel spermatozoa; this is in agreement with previous cytological findings. The results of this investigation do not support the existence of a chromosomal mechanism of sex determination in M. edulis. It is suggested that this sex dimorphism was a reflection of rate differences in some fundamental activity, possibly rRNA synthesis, which was under the influence of the reproductive cycle. A previous study has indicated that the corresponding heterochromatic regions in metaphase nuclei are the sites of the nucleolar organizers: the chromosome regions containing the specific gene sequences responsible for coding for rRNA.
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