The development of a cell array and its combination with laser-scanning cytometry allows a high-throughput analysis of nuclear DNA content.

We developed a cell array device for analyzing cellular characteristics such as DNA ploidy, numerical chromosomal aberrations, and antigen expression in multiple specimens in a single experiment. Fifty (10 x 5) spots, 2 mm in diameter, were arrayed in an area of 30 x 16 mm on a glass slide, and approximately 1,000 cells were placed on each spot. To demonstrate the usefulness of the cell array, we measured nuclear DNA content using laser-scanning cytometry for DNA ploidy analysis in nine human tumor cell lines and normal lymphocytes. Combining the cell array with laser-scanning cytometry allows not only measurement of nuclear DNA content for 50 samples but also easy comparison of DNA ploidy among the samples in a single experiment. In addition, we used the cell array for fluorescence in situ hybridization using a DNA probe specific for the pericentromeric region of chromosome 11.