Cytogenetic methods are techniques used to study and observe the structure and behavior of chromosomes.
Basics of Cytogenetic Methods
We can use cytogenetic methods to detect and verify numerical or structural abnormalities in chromosomes during pre or postnatal screenings and oncology. These involve Giemsa staining, banding, and long time cell culture for metaphase cells.
For smaller aberrations, we use molecular cytogenetic methods such as Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) and Comparative Genomic Hybridization (CGH).
Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH)
FISH involves the use of fluorescence dye and microscope to visualize either a stretch of DNA or the DNA as a whole. The steps are shown below;
- The target DNA to be visualized is isolated from the nucleus and is denatured to