The Behavior in Successive Nuclear Divisions of a Chromosome Broken at Meiosis

After reporting her observations of ring chromosomes, McClintock followed broken chromatids through successive cycles of cell division, in which she could observe the behavior of the monstrous chromosome 9 through meiosis and crossing-over. McClintock reported in a long series of articles that the chromatid breakage-fusion-bridge (BFB) cycle occurred only in the germ cells and endosperm, while the chromosome BFB continued in the sporophyte, which meant that she could selectively produce persistent variegation in plant tissues.