Comparative fluorescencein situ hybridization mapping of primate chromosomes withAlu polymerase chain reaction generated probes from human/rodent somatic cell hybrids

We have usedAlu polymerase chain reaction generated probes from rearranged human/rodent somatic cell hybrids for fluorescencein situ hybridization and comparative mapping of some intrachromosomal changes in the karyotypes of great apes (Pan troglodytes, P. paniscus, Gorilla gorilla Pongo pygmaeus), a gibbon (Hylobates lar), and an Old World monkey (Macaca fuscata). Probes containing chromosomes 2 and 18 fragments confirmed inversions already suggested by the banding pattern of great ape homologues. However, a chromosome 3 fragment showed complex rearrangements in the gibbon and macaque karyotype which were previously not well defined from banding. Subchromosomal painting will allow the identification of intrachromosomal changes on the basis of DNA homology and provides a powerful method to study karyological and genomic evolution.accepted for publication by M. SchmidInstitut für Anthropologie und Humangenetik, Universität München