Cell-by-cell flow cytometric analysis of chromosomes

The authors discuss various aspects of a recently developed method permitting a detailed flow cytometric analysis of the individual cell karyotypes such as instrumentation, histochemistry, data proceeding algorithms. Possible drawbacks of the method and the ways of their overcoming are considered. Results of analysis of the Chinese hamster cells are presented that illustrate the possibilities of the method, including the metaphase chromosome distribution according to their fluorescence intensity, the analysed cell distribution according to their chromosomes number, the table in which the individual cell karyotypes are distributed according to their fluorescence. The results obtained show that the developed method may be successfully used for investigating chromosomal iNstability and heterogeneity of the mammalian cells.