Combined immunocytogenetic and molecular cytogenetic analysis of meiosis I oocytes from normal human females.

The microspread oocytes of three fetuses, two of 16 weeks gestation and one of 15 weeks gestation, were labelled with a combination of anti-lateral element antiserum and a human centromere labelling auto-immune serum. The anti-lateral element serum was found to label both asynapsed axial elements and synapsed lateral elements strongly. Nuclei were found from leptotene to diplotene in all three fetuses. The use of the human auto-immune serum led to the observation of 'staggered centromeres' and 'centromeric associations' as well as tightly clustered centromeres in 'stellar nuclei'. Nuclei displaying various aberrant features were detected. The use of antibody-labelled microspread oocytes as substrates for fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) was found to be reliably successful only with repetitive (centromeric and telomeric) probes.