Chromosome localization and orientation of the simple sequence repeat of human satellite I DNA.

The predominant chromosomal locations of human satellite I DNA were detected using fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). Synthetic deoxyoligonucleotides designed from consensus sequences of the simple sequence repeats of satellite 1 were used as probes. The most abundant satellite I repeat, the -A-B-A-B-A- form, is located at the pericentromeric regions of chromosomes 3, 4, 13, 14, 15, 21, and 22. The less abundant -B-B-B-form was not detected on chromosome 4, but was present at all the other locations. A variation of FISH that allows strand-specific hybridization of single-stranded probes (CO-FISH) determined that the human satellite I sequences are predominantly arranged in head-to-tail fashion along the DNA strand.