Growth studies on fibroblasts of patients with autosomal recessive Friedreich's ataxia.

Fibroblasts derived from patients with undisputed autosomal recessive Friedreich's ataxia were examined for their growth characteristics including plating efficiency, proliferation curves and cumulative number of population doublings. In comparison to cells of healthy controls, the cells from ataxia patients showed lower plating efficiency, growth rate and number of cumulative population doublings in these parameters. Cells of heterozygotes showed clonal growth and growth curves in the range of the healthy controls.