Fragility in the 14q21q translocation region

Aphidicolin (APC)-induced chromosomal breakage was analyzed for women representing three generations of a single family and carrying a Robertsonian translocation rob(14q21q). Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis confirmed the dicentric constitution of the derived chromosome and indicated the absence of β-satellite signal at the translocation region. Per-individual analysis of metaphases from APC-treated peripheral blood lymphocyte cultures identified significantly nonrandom chromosomal breakage at the translocation region in all three individuals examined. The APC-inducible fragility at the 14q21q translocation region suggests that this rearrangement was the result of chromosomal mutation at fragile site(s) in the progenitor chromosomes, or that this fragility was the result of the fusion of nonfragile progenitor chromosomes.