[Spontaneous and radiation-induced chromosome breaks].

It is shown by the study of the location of acentric fragments of chromosomes at metaphase and anaphase in the root cells of pea (cultivar "Capital"), in the cornea of rats (strain Wistar), in the bone marrow of mice (strain BALB), in the cultures of embryonic fibroblasts of mice (strain C57B1) and of embryonic human fibroblasts that some fragments are situated outside the equatorial plates, while others are situated within the plane of the equatorial plate. The fragments of the first type initiate mainly spontaneously, while the fragments of the second type are mainly induced by irradiation. These principles are observed in all the types of animal and plant cells studied. The location of the fragments observed in non-radiated cells could be explained if it be assumed, that all the chromosome breaks are realized before the prometaphase and by the beginning of the prometaphase the fragments are randomly distributed within the volume of the nucleus. At the prometaphase most fragments move from the equator to the pole of the cell and thus at the metaphase and anaphase are found to be located outside the equatorial plate. For the explanation of the observed ratio of the two types of fragments in an irradiated cell it is assumed that chromosome fragments resulting from breaks induced by irradiation are completely detached from chromosomes only after the beginning of the prometaphase. Possibly, the process of development of breaks is also not yet completed by this time, it continues and is completed at the metaphase, partially, at the anaphase of the mitosis.