Counting Chromosomes in Embryonic Stem (ES) Cells
Adapted from Manipulating the Mouse Embryo, 3rd edition, by Andras Nagy, Marina Gertsenstein, Kristina Vintersten, and Richard Behringer. CSHL Press, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA, 2003.INTRODUCTION
Aneuploidy in embryonic stem (ES) cells is the major cause of failure in obtaining contributions to all tissues of chimeras, including the germ line. This protocol describes a simple method for counting chromosomes from metaphase spreads in ES cells. ES cell clones showing euploidy on 70%-80% of spreads are used for chimera production.