Research: Molecular Cytogenetics Laboratory

Contact

Introduction

The Molecular Cytogenetics Research Group was established in 1987 in the Cambridge University Department of Pathology as part of a project to study the molecular pathology of disease with particular emphasis on positional cloning of disease genes. This involved the development of FISH technology for ordering genetic markers and chromosome sorting and painting for the analysis of complex chromosome aberrations (see FISH image gallery). Comparative mapping using cross-species painting followed and, in 1998, the Group moved to its present location to continue its studies on comparative mapping and chromosome evolution.

Flow karyotype of human male (Ferguson-Smith, 1997)	Aardvark chromosomes 1, 2 and 3 (Yang et al., 2003)
Fusion of Chinese muntjac chromosomes forms chromosome 3 of the Indian muntjac (Yang et al., 1997)	Chinese muntjac chromosome 3 painting probe on Indian muntjac 1 (Yang et al., 1997)
Aepyprymnus rufescens chromosome 7 and 14 hybridized to Potorous tridactylus chromosome 4 (Rens et al., 2003)	Platypus chromosome 20 and 21 identified by chromosome painting.The arrows indicate the four smallest sex chromosomes (Rens et al., 2004)
Platypus chromosome X1p and Y1 identified by chromosome painting. These two chromosomes are the first two sex chromosomes out of ten (Rens et al., 2004)	Potorous tridactylus chromosome 1 seen in interphase; the ends of this chromosome pair forms two projections (Rens et al., 2003)