Prometaphase Chromosomes Research Articles

Cytogenetic heterogeneity of translocations associated with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Lymphoblastoid cell lines have been established from nine female patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy who had previously been reported to have chromosome translocations with breakpoints in the Xp21 region. A detailed cytogenetic comparison of prometaphase chromosomes in these cell lines revealed that six of the translocations had X chromosome breakpoints in the sub-band Xp212 and that one further breakpoint could be assigned to either Xp212 or Xp213. These findings confirm and extend previous observations and provide strong evidence for Xp212 as the site of the Duchenne and Becker loci. For the remaining two translocations the simplest explanation for the observed banding pattern is that the X chromosome breakpoint lies a few thousand kilobases away, in the sub-band Xp211. Other explanations which assume breaks in Xp212 combined with complex local chromosome rearrangements are also presented. It is also possible that the altered banding pattern in these two cases is due to the influence of local sequences on the staining or uncoiling properties of the chromatin.

Metabolic inhibitors and mitosis: I. Effects of dinitrophenol/deoxyglucose and nocodazole on the live spindle

Dinitrophenol and deoxyglucose (DNP/DOG) were used to investigate the effects of ATP depletion on mitotic PtK1 cells. Direct determination of cellular ATP levels showed that the drop of ATP induced by DNP/DOG was rapid; recovery to normal ATP levels was equally rapid once DNP/DOG was removed. On addition of DNP/DOG to live cells, cytoplasmic activity ceased; interphase and prophase cells showed little other response to DNP/DOG. During prometaphase, DNP/DOG induced a pronounced movement of oscillating, monopolar chromosomes towards the spindle poles. As chromosomes became bipolarly attached, DNP/DOG caused the spindle poles themselves to move together. By metaphase, DNP/DOG-treatment led to significant shortening of the spindle which remained intact. DNP/DOG rapidly stopped anaphase chromosome movement and cytokinesis. Nocodazole (NOC) caused the rapid breakdown of the mitotic spindle; prometaphase chromosomes clustered at the poles and in metaphase cells, the poles were drawn towards the chromosomes as the spindle became disorganized. When cells were pretreated with DNP/DOG and then NOC/DNP/DOG, nocodazole did not break down the spindle. When nocodazole was applied first to break down spindle MTs then DNP/DOG was added to the nocodazole, a second contraction was often induced by the DNP/DOG in the absence of spindle microtubules (MTs). Chromosomes expanded appreciably outwards from the poles when the DNP/DOG was removed, even when the cells remained in nocodazole.

Actinomycin Deffects on Termite Chromosomes: Induction of High Resolution Banding Patterns with silver Staining in Mitotic Stages

The treatment of termite male spermatogonia with actinomycin D induces highly elongated and finely banded late prophase and prometaphase chromosomes as evidenced by the silver staining method. Actinomycin D suppresses the silver staining of nucleolar organizing regions in prometaphase and reduces it in metaphase chromosomes.

Precise location of breakpoints in a frequent reciprocal translocation between chromosomes 11 and 22

One of the most frequent chromosomal translocations in human beings is 11q/22q, which results in the "partial trisomy of 22q syndrome." However, the breakpoint on the long arms of chromosomes 11 and 22 is still a matter of controversy. In the present study, we have used chromosomes from lymphocytes of a neonate who happened to have this classical abnormality, and by R-banding prometaphase chromosomes with acridine orange it has been possible to establish that the translocation between chromosomes 11 and 22 resulted from 3:1 meiotic maternal nondisjunction. A detailed analysis of the chromosome regions involved in this translocation revealed that the breakpoints on chromosomes 11 and 22 were at 11q23.3 and 22q11.1, respectively.

Synchronization of human lymphocyte cultures by fluorodeoxyuridine

A simple technique for synchronization of human lymphocyte cultures with fluorodeoxyuridine (FudR) is presented. The S-phase block induced by the FudR is released by simultaneous exposure to 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) and Hoechst 33258 or by thymidine and Hoechst 33258. This method provides a high mitotic index with high percentage of prometaphase chromosomes. This simple method is highly advantageous and easy to utilize in clinical cytogenetics.

Cell synchronization and dynamic G-banding of equine chromosomes by bromodeoxyurldine

Both dynamic G-banding and cell synchronization produced by bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU), were applied to equine chromosomes. BrdU incorporated during the first half of the S-phase is taken up into the R-bands that are early replicating. These bands, which have incorporated BrdU, cannot contract as usual and remain elongated; only the other regions of the chromosome, i.e., the G-bands, contract normally and are sharply defined. BrdU also can be used for cell synchronization. The addition of BrdU in a high concentration, 15 hours before harvest, and its removal 11 hours later, has two effects: initially the BrdU is incorporated during the first part of the S-phase and then it blocks the cells at mid-S-phase. Within the cell cycle, mid-S-phase appears to be the most vulnerable time to various blocking agents. To differentiate the regions of BrdU incorporation from those that have not been substituted, the fluorescence-photolysis-Giemsa (FPG) technique was applied as modified for horse chromosomes. This dynamic technique, which produces many prometaphase and prophase chromosomes showing very sharp G-bands, is certain to enhance the accuracy of cytogenetic analysis and aid in the standardization of equine chromosomes.

High resolution R-bands produced in equine chromosomes after incorporation of bromodeoxyuridine

Cell synchronization was used to obtain an adequate percentage of very long chromosomes in equine mitotic spreads. Reported here is our variation, adapted to horse chromosomes, of a method using excess thymidine followed by bromodeoxyuridine incorporation. This technique routinely yields excellent quality cells, predominantly in prometaphase and prophase. Among other differences with the standard technique, this method does not use Colcemid, which, in addition to inhibiting spindle fiber formation, also increases chromosome contraction resulting in thicker and thus fewer bands. Consequently, horse prometaphase chromosomes, which have incorporated BrdU in the late-S-phase, are very long and display a large number of R-bands after the fluorescence-photolysis-Giemsa method. This technique should definitely be useful for the analysis of structural anomalies and the standardization of equine R-bands.

The size of prometaphase chromosome segments. Tables using percentages of haploid autosome length (750 band stage).

Tables of prometaphase chromosome segment sizes (750 band stage) are presented in units of percentage of haploid autosome length designating the distances from interband borders to telomeres. The Tables utilize ISCN (1981) nomenclature.

Chromosomal studies in familial polyposis coli

A study of five patients with familial polyposis coli did not demonstrate any structural abnormalities of prometaphase chromosomes from methotrexate synchronized peripheral blood lymphocytes. No chromosomal heritable fragile sites were observed, nor was sister chromatid exchange increased.

Light and scanning electron microscopy of the same human metaphase chromosomes.

A technique has been developed to examine the same G-banded human metaphase chromosomes, first in the light microscope and then in the scanning electron microscope (SEM). A structural involvement in chromosome banding was confirmed by a positional correlation between the G-positive bands observed in the light microscope and the circumferential grooves between the quaternary coils of the metaphase chromosomes, observed in the SEM. In further support of this the regions between the grooves showed a positional relationship with the G-negative or reverse (R) bands. The examination of slightly extended metaphase chromosomes in the light microscope demonstrated that the G-banding pattern corresponded to that described by the Paris nomenclature for metaphase chromosomes. The arrangement of the circumferential grooves of the same chromosomes, observed in the SEM, was shown to relate to that described by the Paris nomenclature for prometaphase chromosomes. Therefore, using the SEM it is possible to demonstrate the details of prometaphase banding in metaphase chromosomes.

High resolution chromosomes from first trimester trophoblast cultures.

A simple method for obtaining prometaphase chromosomes from cultured first trimester cells involves the addition of BrdU and FdU 11 h before harvest and ethidium bromide 1.5 h before harvest. High resolution R-banding is obtained by acridine orange staining.

Regional chromosome mapping of human collagen genes alpha 2(I) and alpha 1(I) (COLIA2 and COLIA1).

For the assignment of the genes for the pro-alpha 2(I) (COLIA2) and the pro-alpha 1(I) (COLIA1) collagens, cDNA and genomic DNA probes were used in in situ hybridization experiments on human prometaphase chromosomes. An improved staining method is reported for the simultaneous identification of chromosomes and the autoradiographic grains after the hybridization procedures. With this procedure more cells with higher resolution could be used for the assignment of genes by in situ hybridization. Statistical analysis of the grains located on respectively 660 and 302 metaphases using pro-alpha 2(I) and pro alpha 1(I) DNA probes, confirmed the assignment of these genes to human chromosomes 7 and 17. Analysis of the grain distribution on prometaphase chromosomes showed that the location of the pro-alpha 2(I) collagen gene is in the region 7q21.3-22.1. The location of the pro-alpha 1(I) collagen gene was found to be in band 17q21.31-2205.

Clinical and cytogenetic studies of the Prader-Willi syndrome: evidence of phenotype-karyotype correlation.

Twenty-seven patients with the presumed diagnosis of Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) were studied clinically and cytogenetically. The patients were classified into three study groups on the basis of their clinical pictures: group 1 with 12 children meeting the strict diagnostic criteria for PWS; group 2 with nine floppy infants and young children, aged 3 years or less, without obesity and hyperphagia; and group 3 with six older children in whom some characteristic features of the syndrome were absent. High-resolution GTG banding of prometaphase chromosomes revealed del(15)(q11.1;q12) in eleven and t(15;15)(qter----p11.2::q12----qter) in one of the twelve group 1 patients. In group 2, four patients had del(15)(q11.1; q12), one had t(15;15)(qter----p11.1::q13----qter), and the remaining four had normal karyotypes. The deleted segment common to the 17 patients with the chromosome aberrations was confined to subband 15q11.2. On the other hand, all six group 3 patients had normal karyotypes. These findings indicated that when strictly defined PWS is absolutely correlated with chromosome 15 aberrations, i.e., there is a positive phenotype-karyotype correlation, and that the aberrations are etiologically related to the syndrome. Parental origin of the deleted chromosome was determined in seven patients, with QFQ-heteromorphisms being used as hereditary markers. The deleted chromosome originated from the paternal chromosome 15 in six patients and from the maternal 15 in one.

The high-resolution RBA-banding pattern of bovine chromosomes.

The high-resolution RBA-banding pattern of bovine chromosomes (Bos taurus L.), together with a diagrammatic representation, are presented. The haploid set of prometaphase chromosomes shows 521 bands, 183 of which are positive, 257 negative, and 81 variable. Compared to early metaphase chromosomes, the prometaphase chromosomes show 50% more bands, resulting in a more accurate description of the banding pattern of individual chromosomes of this species.

Description of a chromosome replication unit in individual prematurely condensed human S-phase chromosomes.

Mammalian chromosome replication was studied by the aid of premature chromosome condensation (PCC). After induction of PCC the sites of DNA replication appear as "gaps" between condensed chromosomal regions. These condensed particles are unineme before and bineme after DNA replication. The two phases are due mainly to the unineme or bineme nature of the particles. During early S-phase almost all particles are unimene, during late S-phase they are bineme and there is only one transitory stage between these two main stages. Premature chromosome condensation was studied in detail on a specific human chromosome 22 which is marked by its heterochromatin constitution. This led to easy identification of these elements in S-phase PCC (S-PCC) preparations. For each stage of the S-phase there was a reproducible pattern of condensed chromosomal particles making up the whole chromosome. The number of these particles was rather limited and a complementary pattern was found in early versus late S-phase. The pattern of early S-PCC corresponded to the banding pattern of G-banded prometaphase chromosomes; the pattern of late S-PCC, to R-banded prometaphase chromosomes. Thus, "gaps" and condensed particles as observed after PCC induction are obviously homologous to chromosome replication units. Replication of constitutive heterochromatin occurred during the very late S-phase. During this stage PCC induction led to condensation of the heterochromatin into several small, highly fluorescent particles.

Prometaphase chromosome and immunological studies in different derivatives of balanced t(8;14)(p231;q323)

Prometaphase chromosome and immunological studies in different derivatives of balanced t(8;14)(p231;q323)

Band-like differentiation in mitotic prometaphase chromosomes of celery

band-like differentiation in mitotic prometaphase chromosomes of celery

Deletion of chromosome 15 (q11-13) in a Prader-Labhart-Willi syndrome clinic population.

Deletion of the long arm of chromosome 15 has recently been reported in a number of patients with the Prader-Labhart-Willi syndrome who were studied with prometaphase banding. We performed cytogenetic analysis on 12 patients with this disorder in whom the clinical diagnosis was certain. A specific cytogenetic anomaly, del(15q11-13) was found in all of the 12 patients. In nine of the 12, the deletion was noted in all cells examined; in two, there was mosaicism, some cells having the deletion and others being normal; one patient had a 7;15 translocation. No clinical differences were evident between individuals with mosaicism for the translocation and those with the typical deletion in all cells examined. The finding that all of our patients with Prader-Labhart-Willi syndrome have a cytogenetic anomaly, with some patients having mosaicism, distinguishes the results of this study from those of previous reports. Prometaphase chromosome analysis is recommended in all individuals clinically suspected of having Prader-Labhart-Willi syndrome and should be considered in hypotonic infants without a specific diagnosis.

The fragile-X syndrome, IV. Progress towards the identification of linked restriction fragment length variants (RFLVs).

We present our strategy and progress towards the identification of rare restriction fragment length variants (RFLVs) segregating with the fragile-X syndrome. DNA from a carrier mother and two retarded sons was digested with 7 restriction endonucleases and Southern blots were probed with cloned unique X-chromosomal sequences. Two of 17 cloned segments tested revealed RFLVs between the X-chromosomes of the carrier mother. One of them detected variants using Pvu II and Msp I. The Pvu II and Msp I alleles found on the X-chromosome bearing the fragile-X mutation were not found in 31 and 22 random X-chromosomes, respectively. The other probe detected variants using Pvu II and Taq I. The Taq I allele present on the X-chromosome with the fragile-X mutation was found in 23 out of 25 random X-chromosomes, while the Pvu II allele was not found in 21 random X-chromosomes. One of these probes and two other cloned unique X-chromosome sequences were localized distal to Xq26 by in situ hybridization to prometaphase chromosomes and by probing Southern blots containing DNA from a deleted X-chromosome. These are being used for linkage analysis in an extended family.

A simple technique for obtaining prometaphase chromosomes from lymphocytes.

A simple technique for obtaining prometaphase chromosomes from lymphocytes.