title: Essay on the nucleoli survey by the alpha- and beta-satellite DNA probes of the acrocentric chromosomes in mitogen-stimulated human lymphocytes.
abstract: The two constitutive heterochromatin (alpha- and beta-satellite DNA) probes of human acrocentric chromosomes were assayed separately to label the nucleoli in the phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated human lymphocytes. Fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH) results have shown that: a) whole (100%) signal-nucleoli overlapping was obtained with both heterochromatin probes in maximally activated nuclei (MANs); b) partial overlapping was observed in non-activated or slightly activated nuclei; c) random signal-nucleolus overlapping (background level) was found to be approximately 6% by the NOR-irrelevant euchromatic probe (D5S23); d) Yq-nucleolus association in the MANs was found to be approximately 97% without the subtraction of the background level. We concluded that: a) acrocentric alpha- or beta-satellite DNA probes may be used as nucleolar markers only in the MANs and not in slightly activated or non-activated nuclei; b) the distances between rDNA loci and alpha-/beta-satellite DNA on human acrocentrics are short enough to permit their observation on the same nucleolus.
authors.affiliation: Medical Biology and Genetics Department, Medical Faculty, Erciyes University, 38039, Kayseri, Turkey. med-biol@erciyes.edu.tr
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Demirtas
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Candemir
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cücer
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Imamoglu
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dönmez
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bökesoy
mesh_terms: D002466:Cell Nucleolus / Q000235:genetics*; D002877:Chromosomes, Human / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015342:DNA Probes / Q000737:chemistry; D004276:DNA, Satellite / Q000032:analysis*; D022041:Euchromatin / Q000235:genetics; D006570:Heterochromatin / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D009697:Nucleolus Organizer Region; D010784:Photomicrography; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D015342:DNA Probes; D004276:DNA, Satellite; D022041:Euchromatin; D006570:Heterochromatin; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins