Vinblastine-induced numerical chromosome changes and selection processes in mouse bone marrow cells

The effect of selection processes operating on chemically induced aneuploid and polyploid cells was studied in mouse bone marrow cells at their third generation after a single i.p. treatment with vinblastine (VBL). Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdUrd)-labeled metaphases were analyzed for chromosome number and the frequencies of aneuploid and polyploid cells recorded at 2 different times, both within the third cell cycle after VBL treatment. Cell-cycle progression was analyzed for both control and treated mice at the 2 fixation times. Our data suggest that polyploid cells and possibly also cells with numerous additional chromosomes could have a cell cycle longer than that of diploid cells and cells hyperploid for 1-2 additional chromosomes. Both hyperploid and polyploid cells seem to have a reduced probability of undergoing further mitoses, as shown by the reduction of their frequencies at the third cell cycle, when compared to the frequencies observed in the second cell cycle after the same VBL treatment.