The fitness of two alternative chromosome models (unineme and bineme) to the vast body of biochemical, genetic, radiobiological and ultrastructural data is tested. Unineme model postulates the existence of only one DNA molecule (Watson--Crick double helix) per higher eukaryote chromosome at the G1 stage of the cell cycle. The bineme model postulates that eukaryotic G1-chromosome in higher eukaryotes consists of two homologous DNA molecules connected at the telomere and thus forming a circle. Comparative analysis shows that contemporary data favour the bineme model and disagree considerably with the unineme model.
Animals Cell Cycle