Abstract
The maize B chromosome is a non-essential chromosome with an accumulation mechanism. The dispensable nature of the B chromosome facilitates many types of genetic studies in maize. Maize lines with B chromosomes have been widely used in studies of centromere functions. Here, we discuss the maize B chromosome alongside the latest progress of B centromere activities, including centromere misdivision, inactivation, reactivation, and de novo centromere formation. The meiotic features of the B centromere, related to mini-chromosomes and the control of the size of the maize centromere, are also discussed.
Highlights
The B chromosome is a non-essential chromosome that does not pair with the normal (A)chromosomes during meiosis
We speculate that the phosphorylation of histone H2AThr133 occurs during meiosis for these size in rice is about several hundred kilobases, while the size of the maize centromere is about several mini-chromosomes
The centromere size is determined by the equilibrium between bound and but no differences in phosphorylation levels were found in anaphase I during meiosis between the unbound CENH3 proteins, which is regulated by genetic and epigenetic factors [63]
Summary
The B chromosome is a non-essential chromosome that does not pair with the normal (A). The maize B chromosome is the first B chromosome to be observed [2]. The maize B chromosome has been studied for several decades for cytology, genetics and sequence [6]. Of the four heterochromatic blocks in in the long arm, euchromatic regions—one proximal distal. Indicates the long arm, andand twotwo euchromatic regions—one proximal andand oneone distal. TheThe light-blue ovaloval indicates the knob signals. TheThe twotwo arrows indicate the the two potential regions are essential for nondisjunction.
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