Microdissection of banded human chromosomes.

Physical dissection of metaphase chromosomes is the most straightforward approach for the isolation of DNA sequences from specific chromosome regions. However, conventional microdissection techniques are too crude and inefficient for analysis of the human genome. Here we describe a technique for the precise dissection of single bands from GTG-banded chromosomes. Cells from normal amniotic fluid cell cultures are harvested by the pipette method. Microdissection is performed on an inverted microscope (magnification 1250X) with the help of extended siliconized glass needles and an electronically controlled micromanipulator. Enzymatic amplification of the dissected DNA allows the construction of band-specific DNA libraries from as few as 20 dissected chromosome fragments.