High-pressure treatment of polytene chromosomes improves structural resolution.
The exceptional cytology provided by polytene chromosomes has made Drosophila melanogaster a premier model for chromosome studies, but full exploitation of polytene cytology is impeded by the difficulty in preparing high-quality chromosome spreads. Here we describe use of high pressure to produce formaldehyde-fixed chromosome spreads, which upon light-microscopy examination reveal structural detail previously observed only in electron microscopy preparations. We demonstrate applications to immunofluorescence and in situ hybridization.
Novikov
Dmitri V
DV
Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, B107 Chemical and Life Sciences Building, 601 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA.
Kireev
Igor
I
Belmont
Andrew S
AS
D000818:Animals; D002875:Chromosomes / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003584:Cytological Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D011123:Polyploidy; D011312:Pressure; D013194:Staining and Labeling