2001 年 66 巻 4 号 p. 403-407
Previous investigations in our lab have indicated that cells of patients with Werner's syndrome (WS), a premature aging disorder, contain unstable heterochromatin. That instability results in heterochromatin being sloughed off the surface of chromosomes during high temperature incubation in phosphate buffer. In addition, WS interphase chromocenters are sloughed off into patches and rings during such incubation. Recent investigations in our lab have promulgated the hypothesis that the phenomenon of sister chromatid exchange (SCE) may, likewise, be produced by sloughing off of unstable heterochromatin from the chromosome surface. This hypothesis predicts that cells exhibiting a high SCE frequency, such as Fanconi's anemia (FA), may likewise contain unstable heterochromatin. In order to test this hypothesis, FA cells were subjected to SCE staining conditions, confirming the presence of unstable heterochromatin.
