An improved fixation method for chromosome preparation of Chinese hamster, Chinese hamster-human hybrid, and mouse cell lines.
Lowering the proportion of acetic acid in the standard 1:3 acetic acid:methanol chromosome fixative used both during initial fixation and subsequent washing produced up to a 20-fold increase in the yield of intact metaphases from cultures of several permanent cell lines. Although this inhibited chromosome spreading, addition of various acetic acid-methanol mixtures immediately after the cell suspension was dropped onto slides increased the degree of spreading and resulted in well-spread, cytoplasm-free metaphases.
D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002871:Chromosome Banding; D002875:Chromosomes / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D002877:Chromosomes, Human / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D006224:Cricetinae; D003412:Cricetulus; D006801:Humans; D006822:Hybrid Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D007621:Karyotyping; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D051379:Mice; D013045:Species Specificity