Centromere, kinetochore, kinochore, kinetosome, kinosome, kinetomere, kinomere, kinetocentre, kinocentre: History, etymology and intepretation

Abstract

From 1936 until today, the terminological couplet centromere and kinetochore, has been controversially discussed and defined. The author analyzes this couplet here, mainly from the historical and etymological points of view together with several synonyms or related terms such as kinocentre, kinomere, kinosome, etc. For the purpose of avoiding ambiguities and misinterpretations, many other terms, linguistically identical to those mentioned above although differently definied, i. e. kinetocentre, kinetomere and kinetosome, have also been commented upon. Further, to accomplish a largely comprehensive analysis of this terminological system, Tables 1–4 summarize a number of related cytological terms which are almost ignored by current cyto–genetical literature. They, indeed, represent the key in order to ascertain the history and the first definition of most terms here analyzed. The author also emphasizes the linguistic difference between the prefixes kino– and kineto– in relation to the compound terms which refer to chromosome movement and to mitosis, as they are currently described for the cells of higher eukaryotes. © 2003 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.