The AGT Cytogenetics Laboratory Manual

ISBN 978-1119061229

Cytogenetics is the study of chromosome morphology, structure, pathology, function, and behavior. The field has evolved to embrace molecular cytogenetic changes, now termed cytogenomics.

Cytogeneticists utilize an assortment of procedures to investigate the full complement of chromosomes and/or a targeted region within a specific chromosome in metaphase or interphase. Tools include routine analysis of G-banded chromosomes, specialized stains that address specific chromosomal structures, and molecular probes, such as fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and chromosome microarray analysis, which employ a variety of methods to highlight a region as small as a single, specific genetic sequence under investigation.