Practice question

M-FISH relies on combinatorial labeling principle. With n spectrally distinct fluorochromes, each chromosome can be labeled by presence or absence of each fluorochrome, akin to binary coding. The total number of unique signatures, excluding unlabeled state, is 2 to the power of n minus one, commonly approximated as 2^n. For example, five fluorophores yield 32 combinations, sufficient to paint 24 human chromosomes distinctly. This exponential coding enables discrimination of all chromosomes simultaneously using limited dyes, unlike simple linear n combinations, which would be insufficient for whole-karyotype analysis.