In situ hybridization to lampbrush chromosomes: a potential source of error exposed

Denatured 3H-labelled DNAs containing Xenopus or human globin sequences hybridize to RNA transcripts on a single pair of lateral loops on lampbrush chromosome IX of Triturus cristatus carnifex, and to no other loops on this chromosome or the rest of the complement. However they do so, not because of the globin sequences in the probes, but rather because the plasmids from which the probes were prepared were constructed with G.C homopolymer tails. Simple sequence poly d(C/G)n probes also hybridize with RNA transcripts on this same pair of loops, and with no others.