Cytogenetic characterization by in situ hybridization techniques and molecular analysis of 5S rRNA genes of the European hazelnut (Corylus avellana).

The European hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) is widespread in Europe, where it has been cultivated for centuries. Despite progress in genetics, most of the cytogenetic aspects of this species have been overlooked. The aim of this study was to fill in this gap and obtain basic information on the chromosome structure of this species. Karyomorphological analysis confirmed the chromosome number 2n = 22 and showed that, despite their apparent uniformity, the chromosomes could be separated into three groups of different size: large (L), medium (M), and small (S). As a first step towards the physical mapping of the hazelnut chromosomes, we applied FISH to localize the position of rRNA genes (rDNA). The sites of 45S and 5S rDNA enabled us to identify two chromosome pairs belonging, respectively, to the L and S groups. The self-GISH procedure revealed that repetitive DNA is concentrated in the pericentromeric regions of the chromosomes, as with other species with rather small genomes. The analysis of 5S rDNA repeats offered additional information on the hazelnut genome by obtaining the whole sequence of the transcribed region so far unpublished. The overall results constitute a substantial advance in hazelnut cytogenetics. Further investigation of other species of Corylus could be an effective approach to understanding the phylogenesis of the genus and resolving taxonomic problems.