Technical Documentation

Principle : the karyotype is a technique that allows the study of the chromosomes of an individual. the cells obtained in the laboratory are placed in a culture and at a specific moment in their development (mitosis), the cells are destroyed, and the chromosomes are photographed through a photo-microscope.

Interest/Objective:

This technique allows to obtain an image, by means of optical microscopy, the chromosomes of a cell during the metaphase or prometaphase of mitosis. in medical genetics, karyotype contributes to the identification of rearrangements chromosomal balanced or unbalanced. the resolution of standard karyotyping is that of a chromosomal band, which is approximately 5 to 10 million base pairs (megabases).