title: Immunofluorescence staining of spindles, chromosomes, and kinetochores in human oocytes.
abstract: Understanding how human oocytes execute chromosome segregation is of paramount importance as errors in this process account for the overwhelming majority of human aneuploidies and increase exponentially with advancing female age. The spindle is the cellular apparatus responsible for separating chromosomes at anaphase. For accurate chromosome segregation, spindle microtubules must establish appropriately configured attachments to chromosomes via kinetochores. With regard to understanding the mechanistic basis for human aneuploidies therefore, it will be important to explore the molecular underpinnings of spindle structure and the interaction of its microtubules with chromosomes in human oocytes. Here we describe a technique for simultaneously immunolabelling chromosomes, spindle microtubules and kinetochores in human oocytes.
authors.affiliation: Reproductive Medicine Unit, EGA Wing, University College London Hospitals NHS Trust, London, UK.
authors.forename: Solon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Riris
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cawood
authors.forename: Liming
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gui
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Serhal
authors.forename: Hayden A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Homer
mesh_terms: D033481:Chromosomes, Mammalian / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D018386:Kinetochores / Q000378:metabolism*; D008870:Microtubules / Q000378:metabolism; D057054:Molecular Imaging; D009865:Oocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D010539:Permeability; D013194:Staining and Labeling / Q000379:methods*