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Updated: Apr 14, 2026
Detection of Copy Number Alterations Using Single Cell Sequencing
Published on: February 17, 2017
Influence of aflatoxin B1 on copy number variants in human leukocytes in vitro
Tigran Harutyunyan1, Galina Hovhannisyan1, Nelly Babayan2
1Department of Genetics and Cytology, Yerevan State University, 1 Alex Manoogian, 0025 Yerevan, Armenia.
Background:
Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a mycotoxin produced by Aspergillus spec. The latter are worldwide contaminants of food with mutagenic and carcinogenic activities in animals and humans. AFB1 was shown to have deleterious effects on metabolism of eukaryotes in many model systems, including the ability to inhibit DNA replication. An agent that disturbs DNA replication may also have the potential to induce de novo DNA copy number variations (CNVs).
Results:
Blood samples of three clinically healthy carriers were treated in vitro with AFB1 and chromosome preparations were subjected to parental origin determination fluorescence in situ hybridization (pod-FISH). Probes able to visualize CNVs in 8p21.2 and 15q11.2 were applied. In this setting here for the first time an influence of AFB1 on molecular-cytogenetically detectable CNVs could be shown.
Conclusions:
The obtained results indicate that: (i) pod-FISH is a single cell directed, sensitive and suitable method for the analysis of mutagen induced CNVs, (ii) AFB1 has the potential to induce in vitro instability of known CNVs in human leukocytes.
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