Chromosome microdissection: a brief overview.

Chromosome microdissection arose as a means of facilitating long range physical mapping of chromosome regions involved in either a genetic or malignant disorder. However, with the rapid development of improved techniques for mapping and sequencing the human genome, microdissection is considered by many investigators to be a cumbersome and time consuming procedure. Nonetheless, based on the impressive number of informative diagnostic DNA markers that are now available as a result of this technology, microdissection still must be considered one of the most rapid and direct methods available for generating new DNA markers from any chromosome region, irrespective of its sequence composition. In addition, it remains an important means to dissect DNA markers from any organism, eukaryotic and prokaryotic, and has resulted in generating disease associated DNA sequences from both human and animal genomes. Recently, microdissection of single cells has emerged as a viable alternative for isolating pure populations of specific cell types, especially tumor cells, which can then be studied without background contamination from any other cellular constituents. This overview will provide a glimpse into the present applications of the microdissection technology, as well as the importance this technology will have for future exploration into the human genome.