Mapping of human chromosome 22 by in situ hybridization

The second smallest chromosome of the human karyotype, i.e., chromosome 22, is involved in many congenital or acquired structural aberrations. This variety can be taken advantage of to determine the exact linear order, from centromere to telomere, of cloned probes and chromosomal breakpoints. Eleven probes were localized with respect to breakpoints of 11 der(22) of independent cell lines using in situ hybridization on metaphasic spreads. The deduced order of the tested probes and that of the breakpoints are in complete agreement with the published genetic map and the karyotypic analysis, respectively. This approach enables a correlation of the genetic map with the chromosomal banding.