Abstract
A fluorescence profile of a chromosome is a one-dimensional pattern indicating a distribution of fluorescence intensities along the chromosome in lengthwise. A method to measure fluorescence profiles of chromosomes flowing by a slit-scan flow cytometer and to search the profiles having plural dip-points, locations of centromeres, is a powerful method for detecting abnormal chromosomes. This method can inspect more than 10, 000 chromosomes per minute and fits for a new inspection technique using chromosome specific DNA probes. An outline of the method and examples of measured profiles of human abnormal chromosomes are described in this paper. Lengths of the chromosomes and locations of centromeres calculated from the profiles are also shown.
