Seven-fluorochrome mouse M-FISH for high-resolution analysis of interchromosomal rearrangements

The mouse has evolved to be the primary mammalian genetic model
organism. Important applications include the modeling of human
cancer and cloning experiments. In both settings, a detailed
analysis of the mouse genome is essential. Multicolor karyotyping
technologies have emerged to be invaluable tools for the
identification of mouse chromosomes and for the deciphering of
complex rearrangements. With the increasing use of these multicolor
technologies resolution limits are critical. However, the
traditionally used probe sets, which employ 5 different
fluorochromes, have significant limitations. Here, we introduce an
improved labeling strategy. Using 7 fluorochromes we increased the
sensitivity for the detection of small interchromosomal
rearrangements (700 kb or less) to virtually 100%. Our approach
should be important to unravel small interchromosomal
rearrangements in mouse models for DNA repair defects and
chromosomal instability. Copyright (C) 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel.