Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to P Benn.
Somatic cell hybrids between mouse cells and human cells carrying a reciprocal translocation between chromosomes 1 and 7 were tested for the expression of human enolase 1 (ENO1) by starch-gel electrophoresis. The results indicated that the gene for human enolase 1 can be assigned to the region p36 in equilibrium pter of human chromosome 1.
In human fibroblast cultures derived from adults, clones of cells with a common chromosome rearrangement have been widely reported. Cells derived from one of these clones have been used in hybridization experiments using mouse cells to localize the genes for beta-glucuronidase and mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase on human chromosome 7. The results of this study indicate that the genes for these isozymes are located on the region pter leads to q22 of human chromosome 7.
The frequency of mosaicism and pseudomosaicism in the prenatal diagnosis of cytogenetic disorders is reported, based on 3000 pregnancies studied in our laboratory. Diagnosis of true mosaicism was only made when an abnormality was detected in two or more independent cultures established from an amniotic fluid sample. On this basis, 0.37 per cent of all cases were diagnosed as true mosaics. 1.07 per cent of all cases had pseudomosaicism involving more than one cell from the same culture with an identical abnormality. 4.13 per cent of cases had a single abnormal cell with an extra chromosome, loss of a sex chromosome (or part of a sex chromosome), or translocation. Details of the outcome and follow-up of cases is given. Particularly problematical were cases where multiple cells from one culture contained an abnormality which could have been clinically significant. A crude estimate of the extent to which true mosaicism might currently be misinterpreted as pseudomosaicism or entirely missed has been made, based on data from the U.S. survey (Hsu and Perlis , in press). It was concluded that even when two, and if necessary a third culture is extensively analysed with an average of 24 cells per culture counted, at least 4.5 per cent of cases of true mosaicism may be completely missed and at least 7 per cent could be misdiagnosed as pseudomosaicism . There is an urgent need for improved laboratory techniques which allow growth of a greater number of cell colonies and therefore a more broadly based analysis. Detailed long term follow-up of prenatally diagnosed mosaics is also essential for assessing the clinical significance of the laboratory findings.