Dear Readers,
I am trying to determine the karyotype of the Australian crayfish species Cherax quadricarintus.
Currently I am using the live fries by soaking them in colchicine, then proceed by grinding them with a pestle in order to get a cell suspension.
After the hypotonic treatment and fixing the sildes are stained with Giemsa.
The results have so far been very disappointing with only a few mataphases that are unscorable.
Are there any suggestions as to what can be done to improve on my protocol?
Perhaps a way to increase my cell concentration without causing them to lyse?
Does anyone have an idea how many chromosomes a crayfish might have?
Please reply if you can or direct me to someone who's worked with crustacean chromosomes before.
Thank you.
Chrissie
