Clinical Cytogenetics ch5 Flashcards
(108 cards)
Cytogenetics
study of chromosomes within a cell
chromosomal abnormalities
-can be microscopic–> hard to detect
1 base change can be hard to see
-causes many syndromes
-collectively more than Mendelian single gene disorders
How to look for smaller scale changes in chromosomes? (2)
1) PCR: thermocycler–> sequencing= results
2) extract DNA send to a third party and get genome sequenced
Stats on cytogenetic disorders (3) –> Chromosomal abnormalities
!) 1% of live births
2) 2% of pregnancies when mom is >35 yrs
3) ~50% of 1st trimester spontaneous abortions
Cytogenetic Testing done in which situations (5)
1) mom over 35 yrs
2) growth/developmental delay
3) Still births/neomatal death
4) fertility problems
5) family history
6) neoplasia (cancer)
7) other (keep in mind that others can cause chromosomal abnormalities
cancer
uncontrolled cell growth causing a mass of cells
tumour can be benign or metastatic
benign tumour
not cancerous; can be removed and doesn’t spread to other parts of the body
malignant tumor
can invade tissues and organs
-also metastatic can break off into bloodstream
What materials are used for cytogenetic testing? LIST ONLY (for CGH/PCR) (5)
1) T-lymphocytes
2) White blood cells
3) Skin biopsy
4) bone marrow
5) fetal cells
T-lymphocytes
- short term
- limited number of divisions after extraction
- need lots of calls
Why do you use metaphase cells instead of interphase cells?
because chromosomes are condensed
easier to see
problem could be in cell division
White blood cells
- long term
- can divide more in lab= longer time to study.
- can be transformed into lymphoblastoid= cell lines that are potentially immortal
skin biopsy
samples of tissue
form fibroblasts that can be used for analysis
bone marrow
- hip bone because biggest bone and can get a big sample
- high proportion of dividing cells
Fetal cells
amniotic fluid/
chronic villi sampling–> can be studied directly
How do you distinguish between actual chromosomes?
by Size
If two chromosomes are almost the same size (ie 1 and 2) what do you look at to number them?
banding
banding patterns
characteristic dark and light stained regions
What stage of the cell cycle?
metaphase because more condensed easier to manipulate
-different stages= different banding patterns
heterochromatin
totally dark regions
genes are off in these regions
`
euchromatin
light bands
genes turned on here
G banding
- Giemsa banding
- G banding shows dark bands in AT rich areas (gene poor areas)
- promoters, centromeres; weaker regions 2 bonds btw AT vs 3 btw GC = HETEROCHROMATIN
R banding
R banding (reverse G banding) shows dark bands in GC rich areas (gene rich areas).
Q banding
- opposite of G banding
- bright Q bands = dark bands of G