Cytological evidence that alternative transposition by Ac elements causes reciprocal translocations and inversions in Zea mays L

McClintock discovered the first transposable element system, the Ac/Ds system in maize. She also reported that the Ac/Ds system could cause chromosome breakage and chromosome aberrations; however, the underlying mechanism was not known. Here, we recovered reciprocal translocations and inversions that were produced by alternative transposition in maize lines containing closely linked Ac transposable element termini. The cytological breakpoints of 7 reciprocal translocations and 2 pericentric inversions were determined by cytological analysis in this study.