title: Atomic force microscopy imaging of human metaphase chromosomes in liquid.
abstract: Methods for atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging of human metaphase chromosomes were -introduced in the present study. Chromosomes from the lymphocytes were fixed and prepared onto glass slides as the chromosome spread, and observed in phosphate-buffered saline by dynamic mode AFM. On the contrary, chromosomes from the human cell line BALL-1 were isolated using the hexylene glycol method, absorbed onto a silane-coated glass slide, and observed in a hexylene glycol buffer solution by dynamic mode AFM. AFM provides three-dimensional topographic images of both fixed and unfixed human chromosomes with height information. The ultrastructural image of a pair of chromatids was also obtained by AFM in a liquid condition. The combined use of the AFM and light microscopy of cytochemically and/or immunocytochemically stained chromosomes is also expected to be useful for studies on the localization of chemical components in relation to the higher-order structure of the chromosomes.
authors.affiliation: Division of Microscopic Anatomy and Bio-Imaging, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan. o-hoshi@med.niigata-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Hoshi
authors.forename: Tatsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ushiki
mesh_terms: D002460:Cell Line; D002877:Chromosomes, Human / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008677:Metaphase; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force