A comparative study of the effect of RNA and DNA treatment on somatic nuclei in plant cells

The effect of different concentrations of ribonucleic acid (RNA) and desoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) has been studied on meristematic somatic cells of Allium cepa. The principal effects noted with both are polyploidy and reductional separation of chromosomes. It has been assumed that RNA causes viscosity change in the plasma, which is responsible for polyploidy. DNA, though entering in a minute quantity due to its high molecular weight, gets ultimately converted into RNA precursors and finally causes the same effect. Somatic reduction is caused by an increase in the DNA content of the plasma and as such, application of this chemical causes reductional separation of chromosomes. RNA, on the other hand, needs gradual conversion into DNA precursors to cause the effect. The concurrent nature of the two processes allows the simultaneous occurrence of polyploidy and somatic reduction after a brief interval following artificial treatment