Fetal granulocytes in maternal venous blood detected by in situ hybridization.
Fetal male cells from maternal venous blood were detected by a non-radioactive in situ hybridization method using the biotinylated Y-specific DNA probe pY431. The hybridizations were performed on Ficoll-Paque-isolated nucleated blood cells obtained from 11 pregnant women in the seventh to 31st week of gestation. A Y-specific signal was detected in both granulocytes and lymphocyte-like cells in seven of the 11 women studied. These women gave birth to boys. In one of the four remaining cases, a Y-specific signal was detected in the lymphocyte-like cells but not in the granulocytes. This woman gave birth to a girl. The other three women had no cells with a Y-specific signal and all three gave birth to girls. Altogether, 83,500 nucleated cells were analysed. One hundred and three cells showed a Y-specific signal. Of these Y-specific cells, 62 per cent were granulocytes and 38 per cent lymphocyte-like cells. Our results suggest that fetomaternal transfer of granulocytes is common and that it occurs as early as in the seventh week of gestation. None of the ten non-pregnant female control samples showed positive cells with the Y-chromosome-specific probe; approximately 97 per cent of the cells from the five adult male controls showed a Y-specific signal. Our results indicate that in situ hybridization using a Y-specific DNA probe performed on granulocytes in maternal blood can be used for fetal male sex determination.
Wessman
M
M
Department of Medical Genetics, University of Helsinki, Finland.
Ylinen
K
K
Knuutila
S
S
D000328:Adult; D015342:DNA Probes; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000166:cytology*; D005865:Gestational Age; D006098:Granulocytes / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D006801:Humans; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008297:Male; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000097:blood*; D012732:Sex Determination Analysis / Q000379:methods*
D015342:DNA Probes