COmbined Binary RAtio fluorescence in situ hybridiziation (COBRA-FISH): development and applications

The ability to probe for the location of DNA sequences in morphologically preserved chromosomes and nuclei by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) provided for cytogenetics a quantum leap forward in resolution and ease of detection of chromosomal aberrations. COBRA-FISH, an acronym for COmbined Binary RAtio-FISH is a multicolor FISH methodology, which enables recognition of all human chromosome arms on the basis of color, thus greatly facilitating cytogenetic analysis. It also permits gene and viral integration site mapping in the context of chromosome arm painting. Here we review the principle, practice and applications of COBRA-FISH.