Von der Zellenlehre zur Chromosomentheorie

Aneuploidy: Cells Losing Their Balance

“…(A) Schematics by Theodor Boveri of the first division of doubly fertilized sea urchin embryos that form four (top) or three centrosomes (bottom) during the first embryonic mitosis. The figure was reproduced from Figure 2.12-5 in Cremer (1985). (B) Drawings by Boveri showing abnormally developing dispermic sea urchin embryos.…”

“…The first embryos at the left (top and bottom) represent relatively normal larvae, and the other larvae show varying degrees of developmental abnormalities. This drawing was reproduced from Figure 2.12-6 in Cremer (1985). (C) Drawing of the capsules of diploid D. stramonium (top) and the 12 autosomal 2n 1 1 trisomies.…”

Homage to Theodor Boveri (1862–1915): Boveri's theory of cancer as a disease of the chromosomes, and the landscape of genomic imbalances in human carcinomas

“…These results were summarized in a series of publications during a period ranging from 1887 to 1909. He contributed to the problem of chromosome segregation errors using mathematical models to predict the probability with which different chromosome combinations would occur, and concluded that certain combinations would be incompatible with cell viability (for dedicated literature about his life and work the reader is referred to the following publications: [Stern, 1950;Baltzer, 1967;Cremer, 1985;Moritz and Sauer, 1996;Manchester, 1997;Neumann, 1998;Laubichler and Davidson, 2008;Maderspacher, 2008;Satzinger, 2008]). …”

Centromeres in cell division, evolution, nuclear organization and disease

“…Although Flemming observed cell divisions in detail, the centromere, the focus of this article, was not yet described. Instead, he showed chromosomes with multiple spindle fibers attaching all over the length of the chromosome [Flemming, 1882;Cremer, 1985]. Although, Boveri [1902Boveri [ , 1914Boveri [ , 1929 had postulated that chromosome and centrosome errors contribute to the development of malignant tumors, the centromere was also unknown to him.…”

“…Hence, he coined the term ''mitosis'' from Greek for ''thread.'' Six years later, these threads were defined as chromosomes by Heinrich Waldeyer [1888] [http://www.laskerfoundation.org/ news/gnn/timeline/timeline_top.html ;Cremer, 1985]. Flemming had used aniline dyes to stain and then visualize these ''threads'' and commented ''we will designate as chromatin that substance, in the nucleus, which upon treatment with dyes known as nuclear stains does absorb the dye'' (1882) (Fig.…”