Edit page | Page history | Printable version

Banding pattern

(Science: genetics) chromosomes stained with certain dyes, commonly quinacrine (Q banding) or giemsa (g banding), show a pattern of transverse bands of light and heavy staining that is characteristic for the individual chromosome.

The basis of the differential staining, which is the same in most tissues, is not understood: each band represents 5-10% of the length, about 10exp7 base pairs, although this is not true for polytene chromosomes in drosophila that show more than 4000 bands.