STAINING OF HUMAN TELOMERES WITH PRIMED IN-SITU LABELING (PRINS)

As described, the PRINS method is a very rapid and reliable way of sta ining human telomeres. To obtain the maximum frequency of stained telo meres, the primer (CCCTAA)(7) should be used, although the average fre quency never quite reaches 100%. The frequency is strongly dependent o n the age of the individual, being significantly higher in children an d newborns than in adults. A difference between the (CCCTAA)(7) primer and the complementary primer is demonstrated and a possible explanati on is proposed, namely, that gaps in the C-rich strand cause chain elo ngation termination after the addition of only one dTTP molecule.