Conventional karyotyping allows the study and detection of numerical and structural abnormalities of chromosomes. This technique is based on the staining of condensed chromosomes to provide a photographic representation of all chromosomes. The staining targets specific chromosomal regions called cytobands. The classification and the detection of abnormalities is based on the visual inspection of these. This is a genome-wide exploration tool with limited resolution (> 5Mb).
Main applications and advantages
- Verification of cell cultures showing unusual growth
- Identification of the origin of a cell line
- Track chromosomal changes
- Check chromosomal profile at the start and at the end of an experiment
- QC for cell biobanking
- QC for cells used in routine
- QC before derivation of cell lines
- Identification and characterisation of clonal and subclonal cell populations
Starting material
Peripheral blood, cell culture, fresh or frozen tissue, bone marrow…
Detection
- Microscopic genomic aberrations/rearrangements > 5Mb
- Chromosomes abnormalities: aneuploidy, inversions, duplications/deletions and translocations
Equipment
Slides of metaphase cells are scanned using the Metafer platform (MetaSystems). After acquisition, all metaphases are analysed on the IKAROS karyotyping station.