Cytogenetic analysis of melanoma cell lines: subclone selection in long-term melanoma cell cultures.
We employed G-banding cytogenetic analysis to follow the clonal constitution of short-term cultures of metastatic malignant melanoma compared to their long-term cultures. Eight metastatic melanoma cell lines were analyzed. No long-term culture was found to be identical to its line of origin. In all cultures there was a selection of one subclone and emergence of its own subclones. In the majority of cultured tumors (5/8), this process was associated with a decrease in the number of subclones composing the line. We suggest that subclone selection in long-term tumor cultures can be associated with a change in phenotype. Therefore, caution is required when employing long-term cultures for research and therapy.
Lotem
Michal
M
Sharett Institute of Oncology, Hadassah Hebrew University Hospital, Kiryat Hadassah, Jerusalem, Israel. lotem@isdn.net.il
Yehuda-Gafni
Orly
O
Butnaryu
Eliza
E
Drize
Olga
O
Peretz
Tamar
T
Abeliovich
Dvorah
D
D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D002999:Clone Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007621:Karyotyping; D008545:Melanoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured