Review Questions - Preparing/Analyzing Karyotypes

  1. What is cytogenetics? What does it involve?
  2. What is a karyotype?
  3. How are metaphase chromosomes usually arranged in a karyotype?
  4. Distinguish between non-differentially stained and differentially stained chromosome material.
  5. What are some problems with working with differentially-stained chromosomes?
  6. In a karyotype, how are chromosomes ordered?
  7. List and briefly describe the seven groups that chromosomes are grouped into in the case of a non-differentially stained karyotype.
  8. When were the first banding methods developed?
  9. What makes banded chromosome material superior to non-differentially stained chromosome material?
  10. List four different kinds of cells that can be used in chromosome analysis.
  11. Summarize the procedure commonly used in preparing a karyotype.
  12. List four common staining procedures used to induce chromosome banding.
  13. What was the 1971 meeting in Paris about?
  14. What is high-resolution banding? What does it involve?
  15. What is FISH? What does it enable cytogeneticists to focus on?
  16. List two advantages that FISH has over chromosome banding procedures.
  17. Describe how FISH works.
  18. List and describe three different procedures for obtaining fetal cells for chromosome study.
  19. When is amniocentesis usually performed? When can amniocentesis be carried out?
  20. What are chorionic villi?
  21. Chorionic villus cells descend from ___________________.
  22. Why is chorionic villus sampling slightly less accurate than amniocentesis?
  23. What is fetal cell sorting? Why is it safer than amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling?