title: Zygosity determination of multiple pregnancy by deoxyribonucleic acid fingerprints.
abstract: We used a new method of deoxyribonucleic acid analysis to determine zygosity in multiple pregnancies. This method uses a minisatellite core probe, requires only a small amount of deoxyribonucleic acid, and detects the restriction fragment length polymorphisms that are a result of allelic differences in the number of tandem repeats that contain the core sequence. Southern blot hybridization showed an individual-specific deoxyribonucleic acid fingerprint and each polymorphic band in the sibling could be identified within one (but not both) of the parents. Identical deoxyribonucleic acid fingerprints among the siblings of multiple pregnancy indicate they must be monozygotic. This method is sufficiently reliable and rapid so the determination of zygosity in multiple pregnancy can be made the same day the fetal deoxyribonucleic acid is made available.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Osaka University Medical School, Japan.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Azuma
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kamiura
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nobunaga
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Negoro
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Saji
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Tanizawa
mesh_terms: D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009710:Nucleotide Mapping; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D011247:Pregnancy; D011272:Pregnancy, Multiple; D014310:Triplets; D014429:Twins, Dizygotic; D014430:Twins, Monozygotic; D015053:Zygote
chemical_list: D004247:DNA