Interphase or metaphase nuclei can be accessed in molecular cytogenetic analyses. Metaphase spreads are routinely studied by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to answer clinical genetic questions. Even though metaphase quality is essential for FISH studies, there is limited ability in clinical cases to improve the quality of cytogenetic preparations. However, the quality of preps is important for the exact localization of FISH signals, which is necessary to identify individual chromosomes and chromosomal sub-regions using inverted DAPI banding. Here we present an efficient and easy-to-perform variant of standard slide pretreatment before a normal FISH procedure. This method reproducibly leads to solid, "steel," nonfuzzy, and well-DAPI-banded metaphases. This protocol works in blood lymphocyte and amniotic fluidderived fibroblasts.
Chromosomal heteromorphisms (CHMs) are currently largely disregarded in human genetic diagnostics. One exception is der(Y)t(Y;acro)(q12;p1?2), which has at least been mentioned in karyotypes and discussed in reports. This derivative is frequently observed in healthy males with idiopathic infertility, which is not uncommon for CHMs. Here, we present the first systematic fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH)-based study of 7 carriers of der(Y)t(Y;acro)(q12;p1?2). Specific probes for 15p11.2 (D15Z1) and 22p11.2 (D22Z4) were applied to answer the question of whether either of the short arms may be involved in the formation of the derivative Y-chromosome. In 6 out of 7 cases, specific staining was achieved using the D15Z1 probe, while the derivative acrocentric chromosomal region was not positive for D22Z4 in any of the 7 cases.In conclusion, this study implies that the acrocentric chromosomal region is derived from chromosome 15 in the majority of cases with der(Y)t(Y;acro)(q12;p1?2).
Cryptic balanced chromosomal aberrations can be an underlying cause of infertility. In 2003 Cockwell and coworkers highlighted the relevance of euchromatic pericentric regions of acrocentric chromosomes that may be a yet ignored genomic region hosting cryptic rearrangements. Here we offer the first follow-up study to further explore this idea. Two specific molecular cytogenetic probe sets were established to elucidate such cryptic rearrangements together with chromosomal heteromorphisms of acrocentric centromeres. In 28 infertile couples and 20 controls, the rate of centromeric heteromorphisms was almost comparable in both groups and one heteromorphism was noted in ~30% of the cases, and two heteromorphisms in ~15% and three heteromorphisms 5%. However, none of the studied groups revealed any cryptic euchromatic pericentromeric abnormalities of the acrocentrics. Nonetheless, in parallel an infertile case with an inv(13)(p12q12.1?2) was uncovered, being not part of the systematically studied group of infertile. As unbalanced products of meiosis with such or similar karyotypes can potentially contribute to abortions, the existence of rare, cryptic pericentromeric euchromatic abnormalities in the acrocentrics thus needs to be still expected in banding cytogenetic diagnostics. Accordingly, this study reflected that suspicious acrocentric short arms in infertile need special attention and further characterization by fluorescence in situ hybridization.
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