COMPLEX FISH PROBES FOR THE SUBTELOMERIC REGIONS OF ALL HUMAN-CHROMOSOMES - COMPARATIVE HYBRIDIZATION OF CEPH YACS TO CHROMOSOMES OF THE OLD-WORLD MONKEY PRESBYTIS-CRISTATA AND GREAT APES

We have generated a human subtelomere probe panel, utilizing well char acterized CEPH YACs, for the investigation of human chromosome patholo gy and evolution through fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). Reg ion-specific FISH probes will be extremely valuable for detecting cyto genetically cryptic telomere abnormalities. Here, we present the first comparative mapping study (with 29 subtelomere probes and 6 chromosom e paints) to the Old World monkey Presbytis cristata, followed by hybr idizations to the great apes, gorilla and orangutan, when rearrangemen ts were detected. We observed that the position of telomere-associated genomic sequences has been only moderately conserved during primate e volution. YAC 364f9, specific for the subtelomeric long arm of human c hromosome 3, contains an evolutionary inversion breakpoint that was in volved in independent chromosome rearrangements in P. cristata and gor illa.