Human Chromosomes: Structure, Behavior, and Effects

✍ Scribed by Eeva Therman, Millard Susman (auth.)

• Publisher: Springer-Verlag New York
• Year: 1993
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 391
• Series: Springer Study Edition
• Edition: 3
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This book, like the two previous editions, was written as an introduction to human cytogenetics, but it could also be used as a text for a general cytogenetics course, since chromosome structure and behavior are similar in all eukaryotes. Many examples in this book are from organisms other than humans, reflecting our combined backgrounds of molecular and bacterial genetics, and plant and animal cytogenetics. In the rapidly expanding field of human cytogenetics, certain subjects, for instance clinical and cancer cytogenetics, are now covered in recently published, thousand-page volumes. In this book, such subjects are presented only in outline. The enormous growth of information has also made the choice of topics and of examples to illustrate them even more arbitrary and subjective than in the previous editions. Apart from a few pages here and there, the text has been rewritten. Major parts, especially those on molecular matters, have been added. This book would not exist without the dedicated participation of Mrs. Barbara Susman. She has been involved in the project from the planning stages to the final proofreading. She has done the extensive literature research, designed most of the tables and illustrations, and edited and typed the text. For discussions and suggestions we are indebted to many colleagues. We wish especially to mention Drs. Lassi Alvesalo, Evelyn M. Kuhn, and Renata Laxova, who have critically read selected parts of the book, and Dr. Carter Denniston, who has read the whole text.

✦ Table of Contents

Front Matter....Pages i-xvii
Origins and Directions of Human Cytogenetics....Pages 1-13
Structure of the Eukaryotic Chromosome and the Karyotype....Pages 14-25
Mitotic Cycle and Chromosome Reproduction....Pages 26-32
Methods in Human Cytogenetics....Pages 33-46
Molecular Methods....Pages 47-59
Longitudinal Differentiation of Eukaryotic Chromosomes....Pages 60-70
Significance of Chromosome Bands....Pages 71-75
Architecture and Function of the Eukaryotic Chromosome....Pages 76-92
Chromosome Structural Aberrations....Pages 93-106
Causes of Chromosome Breakage....Pages 107-117
Chromosome Instability Syndromes....Pages 118-125
Sister Chromatid Exchanges and Mitotic Crossing-Over....Pages 126-134
Cell Fusion, Prematurely Condensed Chromosomes, and the Origin of Allocyclic Chromosomes....Pages 135-142
Chromosome Arrangement in Interphase and in Differentiated Nuclei....Pages 143-148
Modifications of Mitosis....Pages 149-158
Chromosomal Differentiation of Cells....Pages 159-164
Main Features of Meiosis....Pages 165-176
Details of Meiosis....Pages 177-189
Meiotic Abnormalities....Pages 190-202
Human Sex Determination and the Y Chromosome....Pages 203-209
Human X Chromosome....Pages 210-219
Abnormal Human Sex Chromosome Constitutions....Pages 220-227
Functional Structure of the Human X Chromosome....Pages 228-236
Numerically Abnormal Chromosome Constitutions in Humans....Pages 237-253
Structurally Abnormal Human Autosomes....Pages 254-272
Reciprocal Translocations....Pages 273-287
Robertsonian Translocations....Pages 288-301
Double Minutes and Homogeneously Stained Regions....Pages 302-309
Chromosomes and Oncogenes....Pages 310-320
Chromosomal Development of Cancer....Pages 321-330
Mapping of Human Chromosomes....Pages 331-347
Back Matter....Pages 348-376

✦ Subjects

Life Sciences, general; Cell Biology; Human Genetics