The 6th B Chromosome Conference – Programme

Date: June 1 – 4, 2026
Location: Olomouc, Czech Republic
Contact: 6bcc@ueb.cas.cz
 

Day 1 – Monday, June 1, 2026

12:00–12:50
Registration
13:00–13:10
13:10–14:30
Section 1 – Chair: Radka Reifová
13:10–13:30
Jan Bartoš
How the B knows it’s a B? – Teasing question of the conference
13:30–13:50
Francisco J. Ruiz-Ruano
The passerine germline-restricted chromosome as a model of chromosome innovation
13:50–14:10
James A. Birchler
The maize B chromosome drive mechanism modifies centromere replication control by a degenerate F-box protein
14:10–14:30
Dmitry A. Filatov
Similarities and dissimilarities between B- and Y-chromosome evolution
14:30–15:10
Coffee break
15:10–16:10
Section 2 – Chair: Anna Torgasheva
15:10–15:30
Radka Reifová
Breaking all the rules: Unusual inheritance of the germline-restricted chromosome of songbirds
15:30–15:50
Alexander Suh
Reflecting on 10 years of passerine GRC omics research
15:50–16:10
Olga Takki
Germline‐restricted chromosomes of the aphid midge Aphidoletes aphidimyza
16:10–16:50
Coffee break
16:50–17:50
Section 3 – Chair: Jianyong Chen
16:50–17:10
Miroslava Karafiátová
Alternative pollen development driven by sorghum B chromosome
17:10–17:30
Tereza Bojdová
Genomic and molecular insights into B chromosome elimination in Sorghum
17:30–17:50
Lucie Hloušková
The maize B chromosome shapes the transcriptome throughout the entire plant life
17:50–

Day 2 – Tuesday, June 2, 2026

09:00–10:00
Section 4 – Chair: Alexandr Sember
09:00–09:20
Patrick M. Ferree
Testing for functionality of genes expressed by the B chromosome PSR in the jewel wasp
09:20–09:40
Marija Rajičić
Composition and evolutionary pathways of B chromosomes in Nyctalus leisleri
09:40–10:00
Kashif Nawaz
Structural evolution of supernumerary B chromosomes in saltgrass (Distichlis spp.)
10:00–10:40
Coffee break
10:40–11:40
Section 5 – Chair: Yifan Pei
10:40–11:00
Stephen Schlebusch
Stable but turbulent: the two faces of the passerine GRC
11:00–11:20
Dmitrij Dedukh
Programmed elimination of the germline-restricted chromosome occurs during cleavage in passerine birds
11:20–11:40
Anna Torgasheva
Behavior of the germline restricted chromosome in bird development
11:40–13:10
Lunch
13:10–14:30
Section 6 – Chair: Miroslava Karafiátová
13:10–13:30
Jianyong Chen
Evolution of B chromosomes in rye and Aegilops: evidence for a common ancestral origin
13:30–13:50
Andreas Houben
The process of B chromosome elimination in Aegilops speltoides
13:50–14:10
Taoran Liu
Characterization of a candidate gene controlling the drive of the rye B chromosome
14:10–14:30
Luisa Barth
Two different types of B chromosomes of Brachyscome dichromosomatica encode their own CENH3
14:30–14:45
Poster pitches (optional)
14:45–16:30
Coffee break & Poster session
17:30–18:30

Day 3 – Wednesday, June 3, 2026

09:00–10:00
Section 7 – Chair: Stephen Schlebusch
09:00–09:20
Niki Vontzou
Temporal landscape of miRNA-mediated regulation uncovers the dynamics of programmed DNA elimination in passerines
09:20–09:40
Diana C. Gonzalez Ramirez
Genetic diversity and evolutionary dynamics of the germline-restricted chromosome and other maternally inherited elements in the zebra finch
09:40–10:00
Yifan Pei
Characterizing the germline-restricted chromosome in a hybrid-species complex of sparrows
10:00–10:40
Coffee break
10:40–11:40
Section 8 – Chair: Lucie Hloušková
10:40–11:00
Vladimir Trifonov
B chromosomes of the Giebel carp (Carassius gibelio): structural variability and relation to asexual reproduction
11:00–11:20
Alexandr Sember
Extreme tolerance to chromosomal restructuring and male-linked B chromosome inheritance in banjo catfish Bunocephalus aloikae (Teleostei, Siluriformes)
11:20–11:40
Yann Guiguen
The Mexican tetra (Astyanax mexicanus) supernumerary B chromosome impacts sex chromosome turnover and alters spermatogenesis
11:40–13:10
Lunch
13:10–14:00
Transfer to Hynčice
14:00–15:00
Visit to birthplace of J. G. Mendel
15:00–15:30
Coffee break
15:30–16:30
Marek Orko Vácha
TBA
16:30–17:30
Transfer to Olomouc
17:30–18:00
Discussion (moderated by A. Houben & R. Reifová)
The future of B/GRC chromosome research
18:00–