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We report the construction of 15 human chromosome-specific DNA libraries. Metaphase chromosomes were purified by flow sorting and the DNA was extracted and cleaved with HindIII before cloning into the lambda vector Charon 21A. A sensitive miniblot hybridization method was used to monitor the physical and biochemical steps in the cloning procedure. Using this method, we have developed a highly efficient protocol for producing large numbers of recombinant phage from 0.2-1.0 X 10(6) sorted chromosomes. DNA from the following chromosomes was cloned: #4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14 + 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 and Y. These libraries are available to the scientific research community and will be valuable in the genetic analysis of the human genome.

We report the construction of eight human chromosome-specific DNA libraries. Metaphase chromosomes were purified by flow-sorting, and the extracted DNA was cleaved with HindIII before cloning into lamba Charon 21A. There is now a complete digest HindIII library containing greater than five chromosome equivalents for each human chromosome. These are available to the scientific community through the American Type Culture Collection in Rockville, MD. The amount of hamster DNA in libraries in which the chromosome was sorted from human x hamster hybrid cells was estimated by species-specific hybridization. It ranged from 5% to 39%. The sorted chromosomes were examined by fluorescence in situ hybridization with species-specific DNA, and the main source of the hamster DNA contamination was found to be intact hamster chromosomes. In addition, we examined a chromosome 21 library, LL21NS02, for clones that fail to grow on the rec+ host LE392. Less than 0.6% of the recombinant phage exhibited the rec+-inhibited phenotype.

We have characterized at the molecular level seven chromosome-specific libraries constructed in phage lambda Charon 21A from flow-sorted human chromosomes. The purity of libraries prepared from chromosomes sorted from hamster X human cells was estimated by species-specific hybridization and ranged from 48% to 83% of clones containing human inserts. Among libraries of chromosomes from human cells, mass screenings were made for repetitive sequences and 20 clones from the #18 and #20 libraries were analyzed in detail. Ten to fifteen percent of all clones contain sequences which can be mapped; 80-100% of these derive from the intended chromosome of origin, demonstrating very high purity and a 35 X enrichment of chromosome-specific sequences over a total genomic library. The two libraries contain a high, though dissimilar, percent of repeat-containing clones; the #18 library has 55% repetitive clones and the #20 library 85%. This dissimilarity may be due to a difference in insert size distribution, since the #18 library has smaller inserts than the #20. This could be caused by variation in extent of digestion of insert DNA and/or differences in sequence organization between the two chromosomes. A method more sensitive than conventional plaque-lift screening was used to detect repetitive inserts; in this way nearly all repetitive clones could be eliminated before purification of their DNAs.