EFFICIENT REIDENTIFICATION OF CHROMOSOME SLIDES FROM HUMAN METAPHASE SPREADS VIA MICROSATELLITE POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION

In order to exclude inadvertent mixing of slides carrying metaphase sp reads, chromosomal DNA was re-extracted several months after routine s lide preparation (hypotonic treatment, spreading, fixation, staining, embedding and microscopic inspection) in different laboratories. The D NA yield was largely dependent on the number of cells originally fixed and the batch of the embedding material. Average fragment sizes range d below 200 nucleotides. The polymerase chain reaction systems for DNA amplification included several polymorphic microsatellite loci specif ically selected for short amplification products. Reidentification wit h a high probability for identity was possible by comparison with micr osatellite alleles obtained from the peripheral blood of the individua ls investigated. Possible applications, the differentiation potential and the limitations of the methodology are discussed.