Sex chromatin in hair roots--25 years later: fluorescence in situ hybridization of hair root cells for detection of numerical chromosome aberrations.

The applicability of fluorescence in situ DNA hybridization to hair root preparations for the detection of numerical chromosome anomalies is demonstrated. This simple method yields a high number of scorable nuclei, allowing rapid identification of epithelial cell chromosome composition. In clinical genetics, this technique may become useful in cases where other types of cells are difficult to obtain.