Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with centromere-specific probes for chromosomes 7, 8, 11, and 12 was used to evaluate multiple 18-gauge needle biopsy cores from 50 randomly selected radical prostatectomy specimens. FISH analysis detected 26 diploid (52%), 7 tetraploid (14%), and 17 aneuploid tumors (34%). The FISH results were concordant with flow cytometric (FCM) DNA content measurem...

Biological characteristics of a tumor are primarily affected by its genomic alterations. It is thus important to ascertain whether there are genomic changes linked with DNA ploidy and/or chromosomal instability (CIN). In the present study, using fresh-frozen samples of 46 invasive breast cancers, laser scanning cytometry, array-based comparative genomic hybridization, and chromosome fluorescenc...

BACKGROUND The DNA content of oesophageal tumour cells is a prognostic factor in untreated patients. To investigate whether DNA ploidy is useful to select patients for neoadjuvant therapy it is of interest to develop a method allowing reliable flow cytometric analysis of the DNA content of tumour cells obtained by forceps biopsy during endoscopy before start of therapy. METHODS Freshly frozen...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS One of the prerequisites for polyploid research in natural systems is knowledge of the geographical distribution of cytotypes. Here inter- and intrapopulational ploidy diversity was examined in the Gymnadenia conopsea aggregate in central Europe and potential explanations and evolutionary consequences of the observed spatial patterns investigated. METHODS DAPI flow cytomet...

Knowledge of rangewide variation in DNA content and ploidy level may be valuable in understanding the evolutionary history of a species. Recent studies of Acacia senegal report diploids and occasional tetraploids in the Sudano-Sahelian region of sub-Saharan Africa, but nothing is known about the overall extent of DNA ploidy variation within the species. In this study, we determine the DNA conte...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Despite the recent enormous increase in the number of studies on polyploid species, no studies to date have explored the population dynamics of these taxa. It is thus not known whether the commonly reported differences in single life-history traits between taxa of different ploidy levels result in differences in population dynamics. METHODS This study explores differences ...

The relationship between the bone marrow (BM) megakaryocyte and the circulating platelet was explored. Incremental changes in platelet count were made in rats by infusion of antiplatelet antibody or by platelet transfusion, and the response of megakaryocytes was measured by flow cytometry. Proportional changes in megakaryocyte ploidy were demonstrated: As the platelet count declined, ploidy inc...

Increased ploidy is common in tumors but treatments for tumors with excess chromosome sets are not available. Here, we characterize high-ploidy breast cancers and identify potential anticancer compounds selective for the high-ploidy state. Among 354 human breast cancers, 10% have mean chromosome copy number exceeding 3, and this is most common in triple-negative and HER2-positive types. Women w...