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The diagnosis of the sex chromosomes in human tissues

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Summary

The nuclei in the skin, and in the neutrophils, have been studied in men and women, in relation to a diagnosis of the sex chromosomes in non-dividing nuclei.

It has been shown in the skin, that the appearance of chromocenters, which are presumably formed by the X and Y, can vary according to metabolic conditions, but that a determination of the percent of nuclei with different numbers of chromocenters and nucleoli in the young and old spinous cells, gives a characteristic distribution of nuclear types in each of the two sexes.

Since such a determination includes cells with individual X and Y chromocenters, it should be possible to detect by this method not only cases that are XX or XY, but also cases with abnormal sex chromosome constitutions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Experimental Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovoth, Israel

    Leo Sachs & Mathilde Danon

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  1. Leo Sachs
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  2. Mathilde Danon
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Sachs, L., Danon, M. The diagnosis of the sex chromosomes in human tissues. Genetica 28, 201–216 (1957). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01694319

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