Biomaterial Database

The use of distamycin A in human lymphocyte cultures. 1984

M Schmid, and D A Hungerford, and A Poppen, and W Engel

The effect of the oligopeptide antibiotic distamycin A on human lymphocyte cultures was examined. Distamycin A specifically inhibits the condensation of the Y heterochromatin and induces a fragile site in the chromosome 16 (band q22) in some individuals. The optimal culture conditions under which an undercondensation of the Y heterochromatin and an induction of the fragile site in 16q22 can be achieved by in vitro treatment of lymphocytes were determined. This also permits the use of distamycin A in routine diagnostics of human chromosomes. The use of this technique in the analysis of translocations involving the Y chromosome is presented. The distamycin A-DNA interaction and the different possible explanations for the distamycin A-induced undercondensations of the Y heterochromatin and fragile sites 16q22 are discussed.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007621	Karyotyping	Mapping of the KARYOTYPE of a cell.	Karyotype Analysis Methods,Analysis Method, Karyotype,Analysis Methods, Karyotype,Karyotype Analysis Method,Karyotypings,Method, Karyotype Analysis,Methods, Karyotype Analysis
D008214	Lymphocytes	White blood cells formed in the body's lymphoid tissue. The nucleus is round or ovoid with coarse, irregularly clumped chromatin while the cytoplasm is typically pale blue with azurophilic (if any) granules. Most lymphocytes can be classified as either T or B (with subpopulations of each), or NATURAL KILLER CELLS.	Lymphoid Cells,Cell, Lymphoid,Cells, Lymphoid,Lymphocyte,Lymphoid Cell
D008297	Male		Males
D011758	Pyrroles	Azoles of one NITROGEN and two double bonds that have aromatic chemical properties.	Pyrrole
D002478	Cells, Cultured	Cells propagated in vitro in special media conducive to their growth. Cultured cells are used to study developmental, morphologic, metabolic, physiologic, and genetic processes, among others.	Cultured Cells,Cell, Cultured,Cultured Cell
D002621	Chemistry	A basic science concerned with the composition, structure, and properties of matter; and the reactions that occur between substances and the associated energy exchange.
D002871	Chromosome Banding	Staining of bands, or chromosome segments, allowing the precise identification of individual chromosomes or parts of chromosomes. Applications include the determination of chromosome rearrangements in malformation syndromes and cancer, the chemistry of chromosome segments, chromosome changes during evolution, and, in conjunction with cell hybridization studies, chromosome mapping.	Banding, Chromosome,Bandings, Chromosome,Chromosome Bandings
D002873	Chromosome Fragility	Susceptibility of chromosomes to breakage leading to translocation; CHROMOSOME INVERSION; SEQUENCE DELETION; or other CHROMOSOME BREAKAGE related aberrations.	Chromosomal Fragility,Fragility, Chromosomal,Fragility, Chromosome
D002902	Chromosomes, Human, 16-18	The short, submetacentric human chromosomes, called group E in the human chromosome classification. This group consists of chromosome pairs 16, 17, and 18.	Chromosomes E,Group E Chromosomes,Chromosome, Group E,Chromosomes, Group E,E Chromosomes, Group,Group E Chromosome
D004214	Distamycins	Oligopeptide antibiotics from Streptomyces distallicus. Their binding to DNA inhibits synthesis of nucleic acids.