Cytogenetics: Past, Present, and further Perspectives. Preface. In Cytogenetics ? Past, Present, and further Perspectives

LARRAMENDY, M. L.; SOLONESKI, S.

Cytogenetics: Past, Present, and further Perspectives. Preface. In Cytogenetics ? Past, Present, and further Perspectives

IntechOpen Publisher

Lugar: London, United Kingdom; Año: 2019; p. 1 - 12

The classical definition of cytogenetics presented in Merriam-Webster, as employed since1930, is ?a branch of biology that deals with the study of heredity and variation by the methodsof both cytology and genetics.? The medical definition of cytogenetics includes thestudy of chromosomes, which are the visible carriers of heredity material. Taken together,these definitions convert cytogenetics into a fusion science joining cytology, the study of thecells, with genetics, the study of inherited variation.Cytogenetics - Past, Present, and Further Perspectives discusses events that influenced the development of cytogenetics as a specialty within biology, with special attention paid to methodologicalachievements developed worldwide that have driven the field forward.Improvements to the resolution of chromosome analysis followed closely the introduction ofinnovative analytical technologies. In that sense, this book reviews and provides a brief accountof the structure of chromosomes and stresses the high structural conservation in differentspecies with an emphasis on aspects that require further research. However, it shouldbe kept in mind that the future of cytogenetics will likely depend on improved knowledgeof chromosome structure and function.This book is organized into eight chapters and begins with an overview of cytogenetic methodsemployed to analyze homoeological chromosomes in cereals. There is special emphasison the study of polyploid wheats and their progenitors, and on tandem repeats and retrotransposonsas biomarkers to evaluate chromosome reorganization throughout the historyof evolution and breeding. Chapter 2 provides a detailed karyotyping investigation of sixteenoak species belonging to three sections within the genera Quercus L. and includes acomparison between Turkish and European oaks. Chapter 3 describes several karyotypesand cytochrome b (cytb) gene sequences of seven species of Epinephelus grouper fish in orderto facilitate future genetic breeding investigations. These include Epinephelus coioides, E. flavocaeruleus, E. fuscoguttatus, E. lanceolatus, E. polyphekadion, E. tukula, and Plectropomus leopardus. Chapter 4 focuses on the advantages and disadvantages of applying bothmorphological and phylogenetic tools in cytogenetic studies by investigating the structural functionalorganization of macro- and microkaryotypes. This information helps one to betterunderstand the genetic structures, evolution, and systematics of the richest and most diverseNeotropical fish groups. Chapter 5 presents a complete study of chromosomal characteristicsin different common bat genera found in the Russian Far East and neighboring regionsthat improves the accuracy of the chromosome characteristics for 17 out of 18 valid speciesfound in this region so far. Chapter 6 comprehensively analyses available global data on theepidemiology of Robertsonian translocations, the most common structural chromosomal rearrangements in humans. The information presented will allow future studies to resolvemultiple unanswered questions, for example, the nature of female preponderance amongcarriers with Robertsonian translocations in newborns, the production of interchromosoma leffects, and mosaicism. Chapter 7 reviews the evolutionary aspects of human chromosome13 with classic cytogenetic methods, such as comparative banding, in combination with molecular cytogenetics techniques, such as chromosome painting and other in situ hybridization techniques. Overall, this chapter reconstructs the history of human chromosome 13using a comparative approach across eutherian mammals. Finally, Chapter 8 describes thechromosomal microarray methodology that is employed for detecting and quantifying sub‐microscopic genomic gains and losses during DNA sample screening. The authors highlightthat this methodology has valid applications in both diagnostic and functional scenarios, aswell as potential applications in human genetic diagnosis, mutagenesis, agrigenomics, andpharmacogenomics, among other areas.The editors of Cytogenetics - Past, Present, and Further Perspectives are enormously grateful toall colleagues and coworkers who have helped during the writing of this book for sharingtheir knowledge and insights. They have put extensive effort into gathering the informationincluded in each chapter. We gratefully acknowledge the contributions made by the manyspecialists in this field of research.We hope that the information presented in this book will meet the expectations and needs ofall those interested in different aspects of cytogenetics, including scientists, physicians, phar‐macologists, and students, among others. We especially hope that this book will guide thosein the field to make new discoveries and employ different and previous investigations intheir future research to understand both basic and applied aspects of cytogenetics.