New Findings in Cytology: Assessing Genome Size in Plant Species

Researchers at the University of Barcelona, led by Marius Mumbru, have conducted a comprehensive study on the preservation methods of internal standards for assessing genome size in plant species using flow cytometry. The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of three preservation methods: lyophilisation, drying with silica gel, and ultrafreezing. The findings of the research suggest that lyophilisation is the most suitable method for conserving plant material for flow cytometry, while drying with silica gel is more reliable for determining ploidy levels.

Key Takeaways:

• The study compared four commonly used internal standards in flow cytometry for estimating nuclear DNA amount in plant species.
• Lyophilisation emerged as the best preservation method for conserving plant material for flow cytometry.
• Drying with silica gel is more suitable for establishing ploidy levels, but not for providing an absolute value of nuclear DNA content.
• Ultrafreezing was found to be an unsuitable preservation method.
• The researchers highlighted the importance of using fresh plant material from the target species and internal standards for accurate genome size assessments.
• The study was conducted in collaboration with Teresa Garnatje and Joan Valles from the Laboratori de Botanica-Unitat Associada CSIC.

Statistics:

• The study evaluated the effectiveness of three preservation methods: lyophilisation, drying with silica gel, and ultrafreezing.
• The researchers assessed four commonly used internal standards in flow cytometry.
• The study concluded that lyophilisation is the most reliable preservation method for conserving plant material for flow cytometry.
• Drying with silica gel is more suitable for establishing ploidy levels, but not for providing an absolute value of nuclear DNA content.
• Ultrafreezing was found to be an unsuitable preservation method (100% failure rate).
• The study was published in Caryologia, a peer-reviewed academic journal, in 2025, Volume 78, Issue 1.

Sources:

• Mumbru, M., Garnatje, T., Valles, J. (2025). Methods of internal standards' preservation for genome size assessments: a comparative study. Caryologia, 78(1).
• NewsRx. University of Barcelona Researchers Release New Data on Cytology (Methods of internal standards' preservation for genome size assessments: a comparative study). Life Science Weekly. October 21, 2025; p 8212.
• Firenze University Press. Caryologia: Official Journal of the Italian Society of Botany.