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Appearance of "HOLES" in sub-telemeric regions of human and chinese hamster ovary cell chromosomes due to prolonged incubation in T banding buffer, followed by giemsa staining^*

Máximo E. Drets^I; Günter Obé^II; Gustavo A. Folle^I; Iliana I. Medinal^I; Maria G. De Galvez^I; Jorge E. Duarte^III; Burix H. Mechoso^I

^IDivision of Human Cytogenetics and Quantitative Microscopy, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Avda. Italia 3318, 11600 Montevideo, Uruguay. Send correspondence to M.E.D.
^IIDepartment of Genetics' Universität GH Essen, Universitätstr. 5, 4300 Essen 1' Germany
^IIIFaculty of Sciences, Universidad de la República, Tristan Narvaja 1674' 11200 Montevideo, Uruguay

ABSTRACT

Prolonged incubation of human and Chinese hamster ovary cell (CH0) chromosomes in hot T-banding buffer induces the appearance of minute holes in the sub-telomeric area and in the paracentric regions of sister chromatids. Holes induced in the chromosomes were also observed in polyploid and endoreduplicated CHO cells. Reflection microscopy showed chromosome structures as dark empty and very sharp holes. These holes may be an indication that portions of chromosome segments are specifically removed by this method, which may be due to a segmentary molecular composition.

Keywords: Human; Chinese hamster; T-banding buffer; Giemsa staining.

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* This paper was presented at the ICRO/UNESCO International Training Course ";Molecular Organization of the Eukaryotic Chromosome in Relation to the Induction of Chromosome Aber^rations" organized by Professor Günter Obe' Dr. Máximo E. Drets and Dr. Gustavo A. Folle, held September 16-28, 1991 at Montevideo, Uruguay. It is the first in a series of five papers from this course which will be published in the Brazilian Journal of Genetics.