Distinctive banded marker chromosomes of human tumor cell lines.

Nine human tumor cell lines (five breast carcinomas and four sarcomas) have been studied and each revealed groups of distinctive banded marker chromosomes which can serve to identify them and aid in monitoring cell line specificity. This was possible neither by conventional karyology in terms of numbers and morphology of chromosomes nor by glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase mobility which was type B for all cultures. The significance of the clonal nature of the cell lines is discussed.