Supernumerary B chromosomes of Aegilops speltoides undergo precise elimination in roots early in embryo development

Not necessarily all cells of an organism contain the same genome. Some eukaryotes exhibit dramatic differences between cells of different organs, resulting from programmed elimination of chromosomes or their fragments. Here, we present a detailed analysis of programmed B chromosome elimination in plants. Using goatgrass Aegilops speltoides as a model, we demonstrate that the elimination of B chromosomes is a strictly controlled and highly...