HeLa cells and their possible contamination of other cell lines: Karyotype studies

Abstract

G‐ and C‐banding techniques were applied to the chromosomes of 5 human cell lines, viz. HeLa, KB, HEp‐2, D98/AH‐2 and Lu106. According to the records, the 3 former ones are of tumor origin. the 2 latter of normal origin. The 5 cell lines showed considerable similarities: (1) their stemline chromosome numbers were near‐triploid; (2) the normal chromosome types. generally present in disomic or trisomic numbers, showed the same deviations through 4 or all 5 lines: nulli‐ or monosomy in No. 3, tri‐ or tetrasomy in No. 7, 15 and 17, maximum variation in No. 7, 9 and 16, no Y chromosome in spite of the supposedly male origin of some of the lines; (3) the incidence of markers was of comparable size order (21–25% in KB, HeLa and D98/AH‐2, 29% in HEp‐2, 36% in Lu106); (4) the majority of the marker types were found either in relatively low or high frequencies (1–3 or 8–10 out of 10 cells); (5) marker chromosomes of concordant band pattern were common to different lines; (6) the total lengths of normal and marker chromosomes and whole complements were approximately the same in most or all lines. These results indicate that the variability in the parameters analyzed is less than expected in completely independent lines. The conclusion is that all 5 cell lines are most likely of HeLa origin. © 1976 Mendelian Society of Lund