Ontogenes and the Paradox of Homologous Pairing

Abstract

The mutations in ontogenes have been shown to drastically increase the nondisjunction of X chromosomes in the D. melanogaster meiosis. This means that ontogenes are involved in the process that brings the homologs together although both the genes and ontogenes are finally paired. The phenomenon named the paradox of homologous pairing is described. Chromosomal rearrangements (inversions and translocations) lead to formation of specific topological figures (loops and crosses) during pairing. The mutual arrangement of the nucleotide sequences of homologous ontogenes before and after formation of such figures is different. Their arrangement coincides after a figure is formed and the pairing looks homologous. However, before the figure is formed, their arrangement does not match and the pairing is actually nonhomologous. The available data on ontogenes allows this paradox to be resolved. It is assumed that the sequence of each ontogene possesses a factor that 1) is a product of this nucleotide sequence; 2) is co-located with this sequence; and 3) generates approaching independently of nucleotide sequence position in space. The sole candidate to the role of this factor is the DNA conformation of ontogene. The conformation in the form of a solenoid of DNA is able to generate an electromagnetic field independent of the orientation of the DNA itself. The proposed resolution of the paradox is considered in terms of the problem of genetic homology.