Culture of cells from the urine of newborn children

Abstract

THE increasing importance of amniocentesis for the diagnosis of disease in utero has focused attention on the cells obtained by this procedure. Culture of amniotic fluid cells is becoming an established procedure for the identification of foetuses with chromosomal and metabolic abnormalities. Cytogenetic and biochemical studies of these cells in culture and morphological studies of the uncultured cells have shown that they are of foetal origin1-3. However, the exact origin of the cells which grow remains speculative and several possibilities have been suggested including exfoliated cells from the amnion or from foetal skin2,3 and also from the foetal respiratory4 and urogenital3,4 tracts. Since foetal urine undoubtedly contributes to the amniotic fluid as gestation progresses 5 it seemed reasonable to assume that some of the cells cultured from amniotic fluid could be derived from the foetal urinary tract. © 1972 Nature Publishing Group.