Modified C-band technique for the analysis of chromosome abnormalities in irradiated human lymphocytes

A modified C-band technique was developed in order to analyze more accurately dicentric, tricentric, and ring chromosomes in irradiated human peripheral lymphocytes. Instead of the original method relying on treatment with barium hydroxide Ba(OH)2, C-bands were obtained using a modified form of heat treatment in formamide followed with DAPI staining. This method was tentatively applied to the analysis of dicentric chromosomes in irradiated human lymphocytes to examine its availability. The frequency of dicentric chromosome was almost the same with conventional Giemsa staining and the modified C-band technique. In the analysis using Giemsa staining, it is relatively difficult to identify the centromere on the elongated chromosomes, over-condensed chromosomes, fragment, and acentric ring. However, the modified C-band method used in this study makes it easier to identify the centromere on such chromosomes than with the use of Giemsa staining alone. Thus, the modified C-band method may give more information about the location of the centromere. Therefore, this method may be available and more useful for biological dose estimation due to the analysis of the dicentric chromosome in human lymphocytes exposed to the radiation. Furthermore, this method is simpler and faster than the original C-band protocol and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) method with the centromeric DNA probe.

► The dicentric (dic) assay is the most effective for the radiation biodosimetry.
► It is important to recognize the centromere of the dic.
► We improved a C-band technique based on heat denaturation.
► This technique enables the accurate detection of a centromere.
► This method may be available and more useful for biological dose estimation.